A major project at the Milngavie reservoir complex begins next week.

On Monday, February 27, Scottish Water will begin preparatory works ahead of major de-silting operations at the Dirty Dam and associated Dirty Ditch.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of June.

While the works are underway, footpaths within the area and around the northwest corner of the Milngavie Reservoir site, from the Dirty Dam and surrounding woodlands up to the Milngavie Water Treatment Works entrance gate, will be closed to the public for health and safety reasons.

Glasgow Times:

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Members of the public are asked to follow signs posted in the area.

The Dirty Dam and associated Dirty Ditch were installed in the mid-1850s as part of the "groundbreaking" Loch Katrine water project.

They were designed to remove sand and silt from surface waters entering the Craigmaddie and Mugdock reservoirs.

By dredging the dam, Scottish Water plans to clear nearly 200 years' worth of silt.

Georgina Reid, Scottish Water's corporate affairs manager in the west, claims the team are expecting to remove enough silt "to fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools".

Glasgow Times:

She said: “Over the years there has been a significant build-up which is affecting the efficiency of the network and needs addressing.

“We anticipate removing approximately 7000 cubic metres of silt – enough to fill three Olympic-sized swimming pools - over the course of the project.

“It is a testament to the ingenuity and engineering prowess of the Victorians that the system is still working and still delivering clean, fresh water to over a million people in Glasgow after so many years.”

Materials dredged from the Dirty Dam will be stored in an abandoned quarry close to the reservoirs to minimise the environmental impact.

Scottish Water would like to thank residents and visitors to the reservoirs for their patience and understanding while this essential work is carried out.