Investing in Gladhouse Reservoir

Project Overview

Gladhouse Reservoir stores drinking water supplying 150,000 customers in Midlothian and parts of Edinburgh. As an opertional site, it needs to be maintained and upgraded so we can continue to provide a service to our customers.

Over the next 30 months, Scottish Water have multiple projects to improve the site and in the interest of safety.

Construction work will be carried out at the site, predominantly on the north shore at the Spillway asset, where we will be carrying out a major rerubishment.

The works are being undertaken by Scottish Water’s delivery partner George Leslie Ltd.

At A Glance

Provides drinking water to 150,000 customers
Supplies Midlothian and parts of Edinburgh
Multi-million-pound investment
Expected completion 2027

Gladhouse Reservoir satellite map graphic

Gladhouse Reservoir Project Satellite Map Graphic

Satellite view of the planned work about to commence at Gladhouse Reservoir, Midlothian

Investing in Gladhouse - January 2025 Update

Site preparation has commenced at Gladhouse Reservoir. Initial work will consist of compound set-up, temporary valve set-up, and the installation of a fixed power supply. The power supply will allow the air blower system and air curtain to operate without the reliance on generator support and the scour valves to be operated autonomously.

The automated valves will be installed on the tower outlets, providing reservoir engineers better control of the dam levels during our work and storm events, mitigating risk of damage to the spillway asset and road bridge.

Construction traffic will become more present around the site, and as part of our early enabling works, we upgraded Gladhouse Mains Road allowing the majority of traffic to access/egress the compound area via this road. There will still be a requirement for access to be taken via the public road along the dam face for some work although we will do our best to keep this to a minimum.

Construction activities are forecast to begin to refurbish the Spillway asset early this year. This work will include spillway joint grouting, flood berms and temporary valve actuation to aid water level control. Removal of the road bridge will be necessary in order to carry out upgrades to the spillway channel below.

Once removed, the road bridge cannot be replaced until we are nearing completion of our work. As part of our reinstatement proposals, it is expected to be raised in height to accommodate future flooding events.

Diversion routes during work will be shared with local residents, stakeholder groups and via our media channels.

Our early forecast is a programme duration of at least 30 months however progress will be subject to final design work carried out as the programme progresses and periods of inclement weather.

Community Engagement

We are committed to keeping local residents and visitors informed and involved throughout the course of the project. As part of this effort, we are currently engaging with the closest neighbours to the reservoir to ensure they are aware of the upcoming works. In addition, we will be hosting a drop-in event for the community to share detailed plans regarding the spillway work and the removal of the road bridge. This event will be held prior to the commencement of bridge removal, giving us an opportunity to fully engage with and address any concerns from the local community.

We encourage all residents to attend and provide feedback as we aim to make this project as smooth and transparent as possible. Event details and invites will be shared nearer the time.

Scenic view of a calm lake with surrounding green hills under a clear blue sky, foreground featuring lush foliage.

A view of Gladhouse Reservoir with bright orange buoys

Visiting the site

There will be so much happening at Gladhouse Reservoirs when our major investment project gets under way. However, you'll still be able to visit the reservoir while our work takes place. As always, we'll do all we can to keep any disruption for visitors and local residents to a minimum. See our Visiting Gladhouse Reservoir - Scottish Water for info if you are planning a visit.

Further Information

We will continue to update this page with the latest information.

Need to get in touch?

You can email us at gladhousereservoir@scottishwater.co.uk and watercomms@scottishwater.co.uk. You can also follow us on social media to keep up-to-date on our activities: