Scottish Water has shared images and video taken from the bottom of a Borders dam which has been drained for the first time ever in order to help the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) determine the future of the structure.
The work is part of a project driven by SEPA to look at improving the ecological status of the Caddon Water from "poor" by enabling declining species of fish to migrate by restoring the river to a more natural condition.
The reservoir was originally built in the late 1800's to offset the impact on the river of water being taken from upstream to supply Galashiels with drinking water. The structure itself has never been used to supply drinking water.
Thanks to a multimillion pound investment in the water supply for the area, the upstream water source will shortly no longer be required, meaning the reservoir is not needed to help keep the river flowing.
During the work, the project team were able to almost completely empty the reservoir, dropping the level of the water around 11 metres, exposing sections of the original riverbed. This process was done slowly over the course of two months, with the team closely monitoring the process.
Euan Innes, Asset Planner at Scottish Water said,
"This has been one of the most interesting projects I have been involved in. Migratory fish species like Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout are sadly in decline in Scotland. While there may be multiple causes to this decline, barriers to migration are not helping.
“This dam blocks off up to 11km of potential prime spawning habitat, preventing access for the adult fish returning from the sea. This trial is a unique project which has been essential in helping us and SEPA to understand whether it could be possible to return this river to a more natural state."
During the work, Scottish Water has been continually monitoring the water quality in the river while also collecting feedback from the public to better understand how the reservoir is used.
The project team are now collating their findings along with the community feedback. This information will be used by SEPA who will make the final decision on whether the reservoir should be removed or not.
Click here to watch the video
Sulzer has launched a new global Center of Excellence (CoE) for Water Treatment Solutions - the CoE consolidates Sulzer’s wastewater treatment expertise in a unified and global manner.
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.