Repair works at Whaley bridge dam may last for up to 3 years

The repair works to rebuilt the disintegrated Whaley bridge dam located at Toddbrook Reservoir, Derbyshire, U.K., may last for 3 whole years.

The dam was highly damaged and partially collapsed after heavy rainfalls struck the region on August 1, 2019. More than 1,500 people were evacuated from Whaley Bridge town. Authorities lowered the water level in the reservoir and used tons of aggregates to temporarily support the damaged part of the structure. Once emergency crews in collaboration with the U.K.'s Royal Air Force (RAF) ensured that the situation was stable, most residents were allowed to return to their properties. Currently, water pumps are utilized to keep the water level low (the reservoir level is at 25% of its initial capacity).

The reservoir which is currently inoperative was used to supply water to the Peak Forest Canal. The situation is handled as the canal is also supplied by 3 more reservoirs. "It's not an ideal situation not to have water in this reservoir, but we can manage in those situations, and canal boating can carry on," Sean McGinley, regional director of Canal and River Trust, stated.

The damaged section of the dam will be repaired. However, the re-construction may take more than anticipated. “We are very much in the emergency phase now and we are currently repairing and carrying out construction work. It is a long-term construction project, but we will not have started from scratch. It could take 18 months, two years, three years, who knows?” a spokesman for the Canal and River Trust stated.

According to Rob Jowitt, Senior Project Manager at Canal and River Trust, the cost of the repair is not yet determined but it is going to be high. A government fund may be needed to accomplish the project. "It (the cost) will certainly be in the millions – I'm not sure whether it'll be in the tens or hundreds or thousands of millions. Until we get those designs done, and all the investigation is done, I couldn't put a figure on it," he said.

As for the causes of the collapse, there is still no official reports as the investigation is still underway. In any case, the collapse was not anticipated. "It came as a surprise – there were no tell-tale signs that anything was going to happen," Mr. Jowitt added.