Derwent reservoir – design challenges and solutions

Derwent reservoir celebrated its 50th birthday since its opening by Princess Alexandra on 18th July 1967. Neil Buchanan, a key member of the design team and site resident engineer 1961–1967, in an interview with the author draws heavily on his recollections to piece together in detail some of the main challenges and solutions encountered once the construction contact was under way. This paper helps as a preservation of some very interesting and valuable information from a number of interviews with the author and Neil Buchanan between 2014 and 2018.

This account will focus on the logic behind adopting an upstream...