Holding back the years

摘要

In common with a large number of service reservoirs, Malpas Service Reservoir, owned and operated by United Utilities (UU), dates back many years. The 20.5MI balancing reservoir was built in 1913 close to the village which gave it its name and lies close to the southern border of Cheshire, a few miles from the border with Wales. Then, as now, it formed an important 'staging post' for water flowing from Lake Vyrnwy in North Wales into north-west England. Lake Vyrnwy was constructed in the 1880s with a capacity of 59.7GI, originally to supply water to Liverpool via a 68-mile aqueduct constructed by Liverpool Corporation. Other pipelines were subsequently added, and the water from Lake Vyrnwy now forms part of a network of sources supplying a much wider area.