The Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority is today celebrating the start of one major construction scheme and the completion of another. A new service reservoir above Glen Auldyn which will serve around 5000 properties in the north and east of the island has been started by Auldyn Construction and the new service reservoir at Ballagawne which will serve the south of the island has been commissioned by Island Drainage and Groundworks Ltd. Both reservoirs consist of twin underground tanks which will hold 1.5 million gallons of water and will provide 24 hours security of supply to customers. When completed these covered reservoirs have grassed slopes and a gravel covered roof which mean that they are generally not noticed by a casual observer. They do however fulfil a most important function within the water supply network of storing water which can be used to meet the peak demands during the day and ensuring that customers’ supplies may be maintained for up to 24 hours in the event of a major burst within the system. The reservoir at Ballagawne will replace an old reservoir which has been in service since its construction in 1945 but which had reached the end of its useful life. The Authority is now supplying the area with water from the new Douglas Water Treatment Works and the reservoir at Ballagawne will ensure that the quality and reliability of supplies to customers can be maintained. As part of this major scheme the old reservoir has been decommissioned and is now being demolished. Construction works have just started on the Glen Auldyn Service Reservoir which will replace the old service reservoir which sits underneath the old Ballure Water Treatment Works. The volume of water stored at Glen Auldyn will be 3 times the size of the Ballure Service Reservoir which it will be replacing and will provide significantly increased security for supplies in the north and east of the island. The Chairman of the Water and Sewerage Authority, Tim Crookall MHK, visited both sites with members of the Board to thank his colleagues from the House of Keys and members of the Commissioners for their help and support in getting these two essential projects to these critical stages. Mr Crookall said, ‘The reservoirs at Glen Auldyn and at Ballagawne are two more schemes within the Authority’s Water Asset Management Plan which will help to secure supplies to our customers for many years to come. I must thank the residents who live close to these sites for their support when we have been seeking planning approval for the schemes and also to those near to the Ballagawne site for their patience during the construction works.’ ENDS