Description and History of Site:-
Originally built as an impounding reservoir, now used as an en-route storage reservoir (ESR) taking water from sources in the Washburn Valley and the River Ouse.

The reservoir now has a capacity of approximately 7,000,000m3 with a surface area of 0.77km2.
at top water level (TWL) of 114.68m AOD. The complex includes water treatment and small scale hydro-power facilities.
In the early 1830's the supply of drinking water to Leeds from the early works at Pitfall Mill (WYK01094) on the River Aire had become seriously inadequate in terms of both the quantity and the quality of the water supplied. The then Water Works Company invited suggestions for an alternative supply. Many proposals were investigated and some were almost immediately rejected (including a proposal to sink bore-holes and pump the water out using steam engines), but eventually the decision came down to a choice between the schemes of Abraham and Mylne on the one hand and Fowler and Brown on the other. Both schemes proposed an impounding reservoir at Eccup (though of different sizes and location) and suitable infrastructure to conduct the water to Leeds for distribution to consumers.

While the two schemes differed only slightly there was, unfortunately, a strong political element at work as well. In 1835 the first municipal election was being contested by the Conservatives, who favoured Fowler's plan (and private ownership) and the Radicals (Liberals) who preferred that of Abraham (and public ownership). Although the Radicals won the election the decision to proceed with one or other proposal was not settled for several years.

Eventually, Fowler and Abraham were paid off and George Leather and Son appointed engineers for the works which combined elements of both the original proposals and a compromise over the ownership issue. The works, commenced in 1840, comprised the reservoir at Eccup, the Blackmoor tunnel (WYK01093), the Seven Arches aqueduct (WYK00247), the conduit to Weetwood (WYK01095), Weetwood reservoir (WYK01057) and Woodhouse Moor reservoir (WYK01023).

The construction contract for the reservoir at Eccup was awarded to a Mr Joseph Crawshaw of York in October 1840, the last of the main contracts to be let. In May 1842 the work was described as being near completion. By this time, however, the very considerable flows of water from the Blackmoor tunnel were being distributed to Leeds so there was little anxiety over the fact that Eccup was not yet operational. In December 1842 the reservoir was operational (and reportedly contained over 23 million gallons of water) and in May 1843 only 'minor matters' were outstanding including 'pitching of the inner slope".

By 1848, there were already concerns about the quantity of water available, triggering the diversion of Stub House Beck into an additional, thought not particularly significant, source of water. The problem came to a head in the summer of 1850, which was unusually dry, when the level in the reservoir was very low. The embankment was raised by 4 feet to increase the capacity of the reservoir from 217 to 263 million gallons, but by the following summer (also unusually dry) the supplies had almost run dry. A scheme, presumed to be temporary (WYK00267), was set up to pump river water from the Wharfe across the Harewood estate to Eccup using steam power.

In 1852 the Leeds Town Council bought out the Leeds Water Works Company and began a series of protracted discussions about future supply sources including the Washburn Valley and a more permanent pumping scheme from the Wharfe.

The reservoir and associated facilities have been improved and evolved up to the present day. A hydroelectric generating facility was installed in 2013.

Further Reading and References:-
https://waterprojectsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/case_studies/2013/Eccup-No-1-WTW-Hydroelectric-Scheme-2013.pdf
https://waterprojectsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/case_studies/2009/Yorkshire-Water-Eccup-No.1-WTW-2009.pdf

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Key Words :- water supply reservoir

Address :- Harrogate Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS17 9JA
Grid Ref :- SE 30794 41745
Co-ordinates :- Lat 53.871005 , Long -1.533161
Local Authority :- Leeds Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1843 -
Record Date :- 19 September 2019

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © Nick Nelson