Harthill Reservoir Upgrade

We are investing around £12 million to upgrade Harthill Reservoir in South Yorkshire.

Q&A Update: May 2024

1: Could you bring us up to date with the aims of this development, and do you have an expected month in mind for completion?

Harthill Reservoir was constructed more than 200 years ago to supply water to the Chesterfield Canal. Our charity has been carrying out an important project to upgrade the reservoir, ensuring that it remains available and more resilient to the effects of climate change. We are working hard to complete the project by the end of summer 2024 (weather conditions permitting) and will continue to post updates are posted on this webpage.

2: The project was scheduled to complete by winter 2023 / spring 2024. What are the primary factors in the delay?

The project has been delayed, in part, by successive storms and heavy rainfall from autumn 2023, restricting the use of heavy machinery and access inside the reservoir. Changes to the design and the construction programme, as informed by our onsite investigations, have also contributed to the extension of this project.

3: Have the delays added to the initial projected costs of £5 million for the project?

While the initial project estimates were around £5 million, the design and construction programmes changed, with the costs reforecast at £9.5 million. We have encountered rising costs for the project (energy, fuel, materials and construction costs) and the highest levels of inflation in over 40 years, exacerbated by delays from extreme weather conditions with current costs around £12 million.

4: When will full footpath access be available for the public?

We are aiming to install the pedestrian footbridge over the spillway at the end of May. The footpath will be reopened at the end of summer, once the construction works are completed.

5: What is happening with the fish stocks? Are re-homed fish being, or due to be, returned?

Once the reservoir is re-filled we will restock the reservoir in the winter months. The fish stocks in the top section of the reservoir will remain as they are now (with a large stock of carp bream and tench).

Update: February 2024

Following a sustained period of storms and extreme weather conditions (since autumn 2023) the completion date is now anticipated to be summer 2024. The team are working hard to mitigate further delays.

We are continuing to carefully manage water levels in the reservoir, with fish rescues carried out at both the middle and lower ponds. The planning application for the fishing platforms is progressing.

The project

Harthill Reservoir, situated between Sheffield and Worksop near to the village of Harthill, was constructed more than 200 years ago to supply water to the Chesterfield Canal, located approximately two miles to the north.

From time to time we need to upgrade and improve the canal infrastructure to present day standards. In December 2020 we announced plans to upgrade Harthill Reservoir by redesigning the overflow spillway to increase the resilience of the reservoir.

Since then, our team has been working hard to develop and assess the design of a new weir and overflow spillway.

Our proposals

In January 2022 we shared more information on our proposals for Harthill Reservoir. We gathered feedback on these proposals through a public consultation.

The video below, which was shared as part of our recent consultation, explains more about the works we are planning to deliver. The presentation information is available to download here.

Keeping in touch

In the meantime, you can contact our team with any further questions or comments by:

Emailing: [email protected]

Calling (Freephone): 0800 028 8141