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'Yarrow Reservoir' - named after its tributary, the River Yarrow, is the newest reservoir in the whole Rivington chain in Lancashire, England, and has a storage capacity second only to Anglezarke Reservoir.
In 2002, several tons of fish were transported to this reservoir when the Upper Rivington reservoir was completely drained for essential maintenance work.^[1]
The construction of the reservoir was described in Wm. Fergusson Irvine's book "A Short History Of The Township Of Rivington."
Once a suitable site for the embankment was selected a trench was excavated on the centre line of the intended work and carried down to the solid rock across the full width of the valley. This was then filled with clay deposited in 9 inch (230mm) layers and carefully compacted to produce a watertight material. This was continued through the embankment, which was also built up in thin layers. Before commencing the construction of the embankment all peat and unsound materials were stripped from the site. The inner, waterside, slopes of the embankment were built to an angle of 3 to 1, and outer slopes to an angle of 2 to 1.
The impermeability of the dam depends upon the wall of compacted clay in the heart of the dam, tied into the solid rock at the bottom and sides of the valley. The clay wall was carried up to a batter on each side of 1 inch (25mm)to every foot vertical, the thickness at the top being 6 feet (1800mm). The inner slopes of the bank are protected by 15-inch (45mm) pitching, consisting of local millstone grit, laid on a bed of broken stone. The outer slopes were then backfilled with soil and grassed over.
On the banks of the reservoir is a 'face in the wall' - an effigy carved into a large stone on top of the dry stone wall, which is said to depict an inspector who worked for the Liverpool Corporation and made workers' lives a misery.

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Notes and References

Notes and References

1. 'Book :' Smith, MD. 'About Anglezarke', Wyre Publishing, 2002. (ISBN 0-9526187-6-1) (page 42)