Building bridges

Whaley Bridge became the focus of world attention last summer, when the reservoir dam cracked and threatened to wash away the town. Now the reports have been published. Andrew Griffihs investigates.

- Andrew Griffihs

It is a little over eight months now since summer storms swept across the region, with torrential rains cascading down off the moors into Toddbrook reservoir, filling it to overflowing and causing a crack to appear in the dam wall.

For a week first the town, then the nation, then the world held its breath as global media outlets descended on Whaley Bridge to report on a small town threatened with being swept away by 300 million gallons or so of water if the dam wall was to breach and flood the valley.

The situation produced the largest peace-time evacuation of civilians in our history, with 1,500 people moved out of harm’s way. It produced a strength from the local community and voluntary organizations few had known existed. Relationships were forged with the professional emergency services that will probably last a lifetime.

The town found a new emblem - the chinook helicopter, which flew in 500 tonnes of stone to shore up the damaged dam. The helicopter was immortalized on fundraising merchandise by local artist Ellie Kerr. Over one billion liters of water were pumped out of the reservoir into the River Goyt and away to safety in a delicate operation as more storms threatened - and underappreciated achievement by the hydrologists, engineers and the Environment Agency.

Then the drama was over. The water level had been taken down, the dam hadn’t breached, and the world’s media moved on. The residents moved back and tried to pick up their lives. And for the Canal & Rivers Trust (CRT) the reservoir operators, the postmortem began.