A RESERVOIR that has been empty for a year is on the verge of being refilled.
March Haigh on Marsden Moor was drained when a valve became faulty last year.
British Waterways now say they are hoping to replace the valve and raise water levels by the end of September.
David Crane, assets and programmes manager for British Waterways Yorkshire, said the project had been delayed because they were having to balance a number of environmental and wildlife issues and clear some legal hurdles, before they could begin work.
He said: “Given the rural and isolated location of the reservoir and the surrounding Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the EU designation of its status as a special area of conservation and protection, we have faced a number of logistical challenges to gain access for plant and materials.
“Therefore, in order to overcome these challenges in the most effective way we are planning to airlift the required machinery into the area.
“Works are planned in and we anticipate they will be completed by the end of September whereupon the reservoir will be allowed to refill.”
British Waterways also said the reservoir played no part in supplying the nearby Huddersfield Narrow Canal and so would have no affect on its low water level problems.
