The Elan and Claerwen Rivers were dammed in the Elan Valley in Mid Wales, resulting in a series of man-made lakes known as the Elan Valley Reservoirs. The tanks, constructed by the Birmingham Corporation Water Department, supply Birmingham in the West Midlands with safe drinking water. Claerwen, Craig-goch, Pen-i-garreg, Garreg-ddu, and Kaban-koch are the names of these five lakes.
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| Elan Valley Reservoirs Wales |
Gravity transports water from the reservoirs via the Elan Aqueduct to Frankley Reservoir near Birmingham. Since the net descends 52 meters (171 feet) over the 73 miles (117 km) from the source to Frankley, pumping is not necessary. The flow is maintained at less than 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h) by gradient 1:2300; it takes the water two to three days to reach Birmingham. The aqueduct, which was built between 1896 and 1906, spans several valleys and is comprised of multiple brick tunnels, pipelines, and valve rooms.
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| Elan Valley Reservoirs Wales |
Because the industrial output is expanding quickly, an effort has been done to build reservoirs in the Elan Valley. The city of Birmingham experienced a clean water deficit in the late 19th century. Birmingham City Council petitioned the British government in response to many illness outbreaks, and the Birmingham Corporation Water Act was eventually approved in 1892. It permitted the Corporation to enforce the compulsory acquisition of all land within the Elan Valleys' catchment area. During the construction of the first four dams around the start of the 20th century, thousands of sailors and their families resided in the community of Elan, which was established especially for that reason.
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| Elan Valley Reservoirs Wales |
Elizabeth II inaugurated the Klaerven dam in 1952 during one of her first official engagements as a monarch.
Comparatively speaking, drinking water from local springs in the West Midlands that aren't supplied by the Elan Aqueduct is recognized for being particularly hard, whereas water from the Elan Valley is renowned for being unusually soft.
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| Elan Valley Reservoirs Wales |
Dr. Cymru Welsh Water today owns and manages the reservoirs. Severn Trent Water runs the treatment facility farther down the valley.