Silent Valley Reservoir

The Silent Valley Reservoir is a reservoir located in the Mourne Mountains near Kilkeel, County Down in Northern Ireland. It supplies most of the water for County Down, surrounding counties and most of Belfast. It is owned and maintained by Northern Ireland Water Limited (formerly DRD Water Service). The reservoir was built between 1923 and 1933 by a workforce of over one thousand men, nine of whom died.HistoryWith Belfast's rapid growth, there was a fast-growing demand for more and more water. The two existing upload water catchments were becoming increasingly insufficient. Local civil engineer, Luke Livingston Macassey was appointed the task of finding a source of water large enough to sustain Belfast. Five potential sites were surveyed in County Down, and County Antrim. Macassey ultimately decided on the Mournes in Down. The reason the Mournes proved so popular with Macassey was the cleanliness of the water and the high amount of rainfall – both paramount factors in water sources. Upon deciding on the site, water commissioners agreed on securing a 9000acre catchment area. This area is surrounded by the Mourne Wall, built entirely by hand, taking eighteen years to complete. At the time the catchment was capable of providing some 30e6impgal of water per day, but this was too much. A scheme was developed and divided into 3 stages: