Update on Silent Valley and Ben Crom Reservoirs

15 November 2019 11:48

Safety has always been, and will always continue to be, NI Water’s number one priority. NI Water would like to stress that we have no concerns about the structural integrity of Silent Valley or Ben Crom Reservoirs.

NI Water can give assurances that how we manage and maintain our reservoirs follows the spirit of the Reservoir Act 1975.  This includes regular inspections as well as ten yearly (Section 10) inspections carried out by an independent Reservoir Panel Engineer.

The latest Section 10 inspections carried out in April 2018 highlighted a number of items of work to be undertaken to ensure the reservoirs continue to remain safe into the future.  This is to be expected and is not a reflection of poor maintenance practices but is rather to mitigate against deterioration into the future.

NI Water will proceed with the identified work, ensuring it is completed as per the recommendations of the Independent Reservoir Panel Engineer.  This will ensure the maintenance of the Reservoirs continues in line with good industry practice.

The issues regarding planning applications have arisen due to how monitoring reservoir management has changed, rather than any actual change in NI Water’s reservoir inspections and maintenance.  DfI Rivers and DfI Water Policy are working to try to find a resolution to this issue with planning applications.