307. The reservoir that nearly destroyed a town (an update)

In July 2019, Toddbrook reservoir - in High Peak, Derbyshire - nearly breached which would have flooded the town of Whaley Bridge. Today, repairs and reconstruction are well underway so I went along to have a look.
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[@CruisingTheCut]

#AD Visit ABC Leisure at www.abclg.com or call 0330 333 0590 for everything to do with canal boats. In July 2019, Toddbrook reservoir - in High Peak, Derbyshire!!!! - nearly breached which would have flooded the town of Whaley Bridge. Today, repairs and reconstruction are well underway so I went along to have a look. My prior video about canal water: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJjXhYibgKaHm8k Location: goo.gl/maps/nukHWTXNQKrNcdCC6 With thanks again to @Petra1001uk for use of the "water spewing through the concrete" footage kzbin.info

[@patrickleclaire6404]

Thank you for the map. I didn't know where any of it was located. now I'm an expert.

[@lukemorton8431]

It wasn't 2019 when they called in the chinhooks? I thought it was 2007 June flooding as sheffield got hit very badly with it

[@lukemorton8431]

My apologies it was Ulley dam I was thinking of... if ully dam flooded they wouldn't be a M1 motorway or even tinsley via duct or maybe even meadowhall was thought at the time would have been completely wiped out

[@seanjamescameron]

These will become such historical videos in decades to come. David Johns, voice of the canals. Very good reporting, it’s almost as if you had worked in TV news 😉

[@deskullz7409]

"David Johns, voice of the canals" - that's well said! 👍

[@msamour]

I was thinking exactly that, but from my perspective, he has more visibility than if it was on local television because he is reaching an international audience. I'm currently sitting in my bed in Aylmer, Québec really wishing Canada had a canal system like the one in your country.

[@Simon_Nonymous]

Reservoir vlogs? You getter better each week! But I have a feeling the reservoir is still in Derbyshire despite its best efforts to travel downhill. David, it's a lovely and important video.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Oh bugger! You're absolutely right, what a knucklehead I am. Still, it'll get the comments going...

[@Simon_Nonymous]

@@CruisingTheCut It's a nitpick of the smallest order. I just look forward to your next pun. Publish, and be dammed!

[@zapfanzapfan]

Now, who is David? Mr White? Mr Pink? 🙂

[@CruisingTheCut]

What utter bollocks. The video was always going to be made regardless of sponsor or not. And there's no green screen as I think you know well. Please do try better when trolling.

[@shinyperson944]

We live in the DERBYSHIRE village, and although the Chinook and all the media is thrilling to look back on, it wasn't much fun at the time. The evacuation order was lifted on my other half's birthday, and the news that it was all going to be alright was the best birthday gift we could have wished for.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Yes, I have corrected the video description to say Derbyshire.

[@wmwho]

As someone who cannot enjoy the canals themselves, I sure do appreciate the all of the past, present and future engineering it takes to make them work. Thank you for the video!

[@CruisingTheCut]

Much appreciated!

[@smitm108]

Very interesting & engaging stories/reporting. Always look forward to the next posting. Thank you …

[@shirleylynch7529]

Thanks for the update. We just don’t appreciate how much is involved in repairs and alternate water supplies. Very interesting and informative.

[@dogcalledholden]

Magnificent journalism.

[@IN_THIS_DAY_AND_AGE]

Sounds like maintenance on all the reservoirs had been neglected over the years. Good thing that they were built so well in the first place.

[@CruisingTheCut]

And the bit that failed was built in 1970, all the much older parts are fine (as far as I know)!

[@laurieharper1526]

That's the problem with a lot of older infrastructure. The Victorians built so well that subsequent generations believed they could leave everything to take care of itself. The London sewers are a good example. Now things are finally showing their age, the cost of repair and refurbishment needed is going to be enormous and the disruption severe.

[@geirmyrvagnes8718]

@@laurieharper1526 To be fair, the shoddy and cheap stuff from the Victorians, or the ancient Egyptians for that matter, was washed away in a flood after 50 years just like the 1970s concrete in question. Only the far too elaborate, expensive and overengineered structures survive. But I agree, infrastructure should always be maintained and adapted to the needs of the time. If not, you lose it. To be over-dramatic, think of when the Romans left Britain.

[@t1n4444]

@@geirmyrvagnes8718 "Romans in Britain." Have you been to Rome? If you believe the mess the Romans left in Britain is bad then Rome is much worse. That forum place still looks like a building site 2000 years later. Should have got the Polish lads in ... would have been finished in fortnight and no mistake. Pompeii just as bad. Just a bit of volcanic dust stuff to sweep up ... still hasn't been cleaned up even now. 2000 years later ... I ask you.

[@pauln2141]

Such a relaxing voice I can even be bothered with advertising too. 😂 Thank you David for another interesting short film.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mistical213]

Oh David, the location is in Derbyshire not Yorkshire! Love your videos, they are just timeless educational entertainment. Thank you. Edit: I see you replied to another comment regarding the senior moment. Thank you all the same.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Haha cheers. And sorry :-(

[@craigbowie8925]

David I am really enjoying the expanded CC coverage. We enjoyed you journey in the beginning but now you are producing wide ranging topics giving voice to many more people. Well done Sir.

[@jerryc5975]

Thank you David, yet another informative and professionally made video. Just one minor point though, I think Toddbrook and Whaley Bridge are in Derbyshire, not Yorkshire. I nearly choked on my Bakewell tart!

[@CruisingTheCut]

You are correct and I have amended the description and pinned comment. I am now of an age where I am permitted to have "senior moments" and this is one of them ;-) Mind how you go with that Bakewell!

[@Simon_Nonymous]

Top up your teabags, bread, and cheese. This vlog is so important in explaining that canals aren't done by magic, and the water supply especially to a summit section is vital. God forbid that the dam had collapsed.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Oh, Simon, you are most kind indeed, thank you. Especially given the unfortunate business we have just corresponded about hahaha

[@WhitneyHouston4eva1]

I remember when this happened. Just like our normal summers, we'd had a lot of rain. It was very nerve wracking for the residents of Whaley Bridge. It nice to see an update of what is going on now. Thanks for updating us. 🙂

[@CruisingTheCut]

Terrifying indeed.

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

Brilliant, thanks for the update. Much appreciated. I’m still weirded out by that old footage of people standing on that tiny footbridge as torrents of water rush beneath them. 😳

[@SailingCartagena]

Another clever title, well done.

[@Hollaraedulioe]

Thanks for picking that story up again. Macclesfield and Peak Forest with their two lock flights are some of the best stretches there are. What I still wonder is why there are no attempt to dredge the reservoir. I've read that several meters of silt have been accumulated. This does seem quite plausible after 180+ years of operation. Amount of reservoir space will be even more needed considering the prolonged dry spells expected in years to come. AFAIK the same argument has already been made for the Rudyard as well - the main backup for the T&M.

[@isobelchapman9548]

Extremely interesting David, thank you very much. Your vlogs are always appreciated.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Glad you like them!

[@magicmerve]

Watching this video has reminded me how much I miss the vlogs ......so I'm watching them from the start again.

[@charliestevenson1029]

Just looked at the original video about keeping the water levels up, didn't realise how much went into it, very interesting and informative and worth a look for everyone who has come to this channel recently

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thank you 🙏

[@heathwellsNZ]

I thoroughly enjoyed Kill Spill Part 1 and am so glad you've given this Kill Spill Part 2 update!

[@CruisingTheCut]

Ooh, I'm stealing that for any future updates 🤣

[@markgruenberg6277]

Thanks for the update. Hope all goes well. Looking forward to the next chapter. Be well and stay safe.

[@sidneybowerman558]

Wow David this video is a gem amongst many of your diamonds. Your expertise to get 'in there and amongst it' knows no boundary's. Because of who you are as a person get's you straight to the top people who are keen to tell you how things are going. Not many have that gift, cherish it.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thank you

[@JCDiamond]

A lot of work yet to be done! Thanks for the update.

[@CruisingTheCut]

No problem 👍

[@michaelorton6947]

Thank you and that point about the pipes which look disused but are actually "on standby" is very well made. I hope the CRT can recover their costs from a utility which abuses their pipes.

[@Capitaine.Albator]

Cruising the cut, the reference in canal boating! 👍🏻✌🏻🇨🇦

[@CruisingTheCut]

Haha thanks

[@jayoneill1533]

I like to see David wearing his “on the scene” reporter’s hat, it’s just like old times…

[@annwagner5779]

Thank you for following up your excellent earlier coverage. So many people in this life say they will follow up and then don’t. You are a vlogger we know we can trust. Great work!

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thank you!

[@MortenHjrnevik-ti6sg]

Neat vlog…short but effective…..the amount of work involved😮

[@glencrandall7051]

Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thanks, you too!

[@hughcarson6837]

Good follow up, I remember your first vlog about this reservoir.

[@paulmurphy5648]

A succinct but highly informative vlog. Thanks for the update, Dave.

[@chazzyb8660]

Crikey, I knew it was going to take a while, but… As usual David you bring your calm and thoughtful mind, and eye, to the business. A great update.

[@christineprice5463]

Thanks David

[@robsin2810]

Nice one David. Hope they finish it on time.👍🙏🇦🇺

[@schirmeyerb]

A miracle...!.....that the wall stay right......

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Fascinating David. Thank you. ilona

[@johnmcmillen8263]

What a wonderful report!

[@MrCElk]

Great video David, thanks. First thing that comes to my mind is how many other Toddbrooks are there just waiting to happen.

[@emadeldinhessain3272]

Great . Well done. Thanks.

[@caniacstevehenderson7115]

Thank you for the updates !! 😊😊

[@CruisingTheCut]

No problem!

[@geoffcampbell7846]

Thanks for a smashing info update. I love these bulletins on the canals that you do so well. Cheers 👋

[@CruisingTheCut]

Glad you like them!

[@Leo-lj6vs]

I remember this from so many years ago. Thanks for the share.

[@Temptation666]

Thank you for the update David

[@Lego6980]

Nice little update. Thanks David

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thanks 👍

[@SirPrancelot1]

Very interesting, thank you. More videos with an engineering slant would be welcome.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Noted!

[@maryjnorwood3962]

Thank you, David! Great report. I had no idea this was happening. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️👍

[@michelemcgarvey7517]

Thank you for the update!

[@theresevh]

What a good video! I like it very much.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thank you very much!

[@detroitredneckdetroitredne6674]

Hello from Detroit Michigan USA Great video Brother thank you for taking us on your adventure

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thanks for watching

[@realamerican6101]

Good reporting on the story .

[@peakpanther5136]

I live in Whaley Bridge and that was fantastically informative to watch. Really interesting to see thoise current views from the top of the dam as we not allowed access yet so end up sneaking peeks from various distant viewpoints like the park or Macc road etc. We get excellent regular leaflets from CRT and the contractors describing progress and plans. Really looking forward to completion when we can walk on and around our dam again. Thank you David, I shall be recommending this vid to lots of Whaley folk.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thank you

[@Kev_the-Brinklow-Kayaker]

Fab footage great to document what has been completed so far sincd your last visit. They're very busy but still lots more to be done, is quite far away for completion still😢. Sad to hear all the old underground waterways are clogged up or dug up and built over😮 so much has been disregarded over the years. Thank you for reporting this again is very interesting.. kev the brinklow kayaker😊

[@CruisingTheCut]

Cheers Kev

[@ianrobinson4501]

another interesting video this is why your channel is so popular

[@CruisingTheCut]

Glad you think so!

[@altern8tive]

The park, reservoir and slipway was our playground in the 70s and 80s, grandparents lived in Whaley, cousins also locally. Strange to see Toddbrook so empty and overgrown 😥

[@CruisingTheCut]

They've made good progress since this update too; I hope I'll pop back and do a final update for the grand re-opening.

[@dougmacgregor5053]

So well done, as usual...

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Juicegote]

I hear all of the construction from my house. Very interesting seeing whats actually going on

[@layalabi1667]

Gosh! So much depends on so many other things! Thank you...that was really interesting!

[@CruisingTheCut]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@mellissadalby1402]

Hi David! Nice follow-up.

[@PaddyWV]

Something that mass media has probably forgotten about. Great to have an update. 🙂

[@CruisingTheCut]

Cheers

[@garrystacey7018]

Interesting video David thank for sharing 👍

[@patriciagassor4497]

Nice informative update David, thank you

[@jamesfoley6555]

Great vlog, alway enjoyed them, thank you🙏✝️🙏

[@bruceyoung1343]

I’m sure it will be nice when completed

[@sianwarwick633]

Solid reporting David. Great update

[@davidsnapebrcrosslane8782]

Todbrook Reservoir you will find is in Derbyshire as is Whaley Bridge.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Yes, as corrected in the video description

[@danielkarmy4893]

Thanks to our Waterways Correspondent David Johns for that update; now, for the news where you are...goodnight. 😉

[@danieltaylor5231]

I do love an update video! Any plans to go back and update other projects on the cut that you have previously done? If they are far enough away you could do a van video at the same time. Two birds with one stone and all that. Thanks for the video David.

[@CruisingTheCut]

I'm hoping to go back for an update on the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal restoration very soon!

[@zapfanzapfan]

@@CruisingTheCut Looking forward to that.

[@danieltaylor5231]

@@CruisingTheCut That's good news!

[@t1n4444]

Thanks for the update David. It occurs to me you're as busy today as when you worked full time for TV! I'm going to presume you dropped a hint you'll be at the reservoir for the opening of the sluices or whatever they do to let the water into the system again. I wonder if the Victorian debris recovered from old pipe works will be in a museum somewhere? I wonder too if Alice the pink haired professorial archaeologist will cover the findings as the old pipes are cleaned/repaired? Doubtless even as you read this post you are now looking for pen and paper to "design" the questions and way the interview is going to go. (There's never a day goes by when she isn't to be found in a cemetery knee deep in old bones, literally, or striding around the Pyramids, or somewhere. Mind you I would settle for Hugh Dennis as the front man ... but only if Alice couldn't make it. Relying on you to make it happen.)

[@Wild_Bill57]

Had a similar issue with a reservoir in the western US, spillway failure, most people worry about over topping a dam, but seems like erosion of the spillway seems to be a major problem. Cost millions to repair, anything can be fixed if you throw enough money at it, of course.

[@wallyclark1895]

A great vlog update! I always look forward to your vlogs!

[@CruisingTheCut]

Glad you like them!

[@kuukeli]

thank you for the video

[@CruisingTheCut]

You're welcome

[@Petra1001uk]

I forget how jaw-dropping it was to see that torrent of water bursting over the overspill. I'd heard it from my garden on the Sunday night, 4 days before the plates started caving in. What transpired then was inconceivable - we lived in real fear the centre of the village could have been wiped off the map.

[@jamesa7506]

Great video Mr Pink.

[@BCTGuitarPlayer]

David: "The Informer" Past, Present & Future!

[@lindajhambleton4955]

Another great vlog title

[@AhmedKhoga]

Thank you

[@daviddunne4737]

Oroville Dam , Feather River , California . Similar problem 2017 .......................check it out for comparison . Great update .

[@rheffner3]

Holy moly. If that dam had failed that town was toast.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Yup

[@Orxenhorf]

I'll have to disagree with him on one part. If some other company digs through your culvert, you don't have to fix it - you drag that that company out there and make them move it, plus restore your culvert.

[@simontay4851]

Yes, EXACTLY! You blocked/broke it, you fix it. Build your own bloody culvert, you're not using mine.

[@laurencefraser]

well, the fixing still needs to happen, either way. Still takes time and effort. Odds are pretty good it's the same people doing the fixing either way, the difference being more who's paying for it.

[@craigw.scribner6490]

Clever title and interesting video, David--thanks!

[@stephenrhughes]

Fun fact, reservoir spillways eyc are designed with something called the Probable Maximum Flood in mind. Generally this of the order of a 1 in 10000 year event, this means in any one year there would be a 0.0001 chance of such an event happening. This is due to the byery significant consequence and risk to life if a dam were to fail. River flood defences are generally designed to withstand a 1 in 100 year flood (0.01 chance of happening per year). Both of the above will also include additional allowances for the effects of future climate change.

[@here_we_go_again2571]

Excellent reporting . 👍 A little inconvenience now will be rewarded when the entire system is up and running (psst .... I don't think those construction people are hoping for rain, it will just slow down their work) Thx. 😊

[@Innerspace100]

This installment was very poignant for me, as we have just had an extreme rain event here in south eastern Norway. Large areas recieving over 100 milimetres of rain over a 24 hour period in a part of the country where that very(!) rarely occurs (Western Norway is a whole nother cettle of fish in that regard...), resulting in landslides, floodings, hundreds of closed off roads and disrupted rail services, and... dam breaches as well. 20 kilometres north of where I live, at a hydro plant on the river Glomma at Braskereidfoss, the dam burst yesterday after the sluse gates installed didn't open as they should due to a malfunction. Luckily, the plant and its correspondent dam, is a Risk Level 1 (lowest) category, so the fallout wasn't that severe. Far worse off are the people who live along the river systems of Gudbrandsdalslågen, Begna, Hallingdalselva and Drammenselva. They are seeing water levels not seen in over a hundred years. Thousands have been evacuated and will have their homes damaged. Luckily, it seems that this will pass without any loss of human lives. But the damage to property and infrastructure will be substantial(!).

[@CruisingTheCut]

Oh wow, that's awful 😔

[@Innerspace100]

@@CruisingTheCut I feel bad for all those people. The part of Glomma that runs through my district got massively hit by a 200 year flood event in 1995, so this brings back some very chilling memories. We were lucky this time, but that's a meager sollace in more ways than one. This is gonna be the domestic news event of the year in Norway, no question about it. And it's gonna be one hell of a wrangle with the insurance companies for a lot of people. On top of having lost everything they ruddy own... Sad, is what it is. Very sad.

[@sianwarwick633]

We have had rain and flooding here in Eastern Canada mainland. We think it will get worse before politicians pay attention

[@t1n4444]

And there's global warming melting every scrap of ice on the planet as well as. Suggest this is now the time to buy a boat ...

[@lindabowser7451]

Thanks!

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thank you very much! 😀

[@greyheron9971]

Great video thank you 😊

[@CruisingTheCut]

You’re welcome 😊

[@cybergridlock]

love your vlog.

[@CruisingTheCut]

Thank you!

[@wizardofthenorth8352]

I didn't realise that Yorkshire has expanded over the Pennines to cover Whaley Bridge 😂😂

[@CruisingTheCut]

Those pesky Yorkshires!

[@zapfanzapfan]

ABC = Always Be Cruising 🙂 Looks like a smaller version of the Oroville spillway damage some years ago. Similar problem?

[@CruisingTheCut]

I don't know what the issue was with that one but I've added a link to the description which gives good detail about the Toddbrook failure.

[@carlthor91]

@@CruisingTheCut David, if you want to see a real horror story blancolirio channel (Juan Brown), covered the destruction, and rebuilding of the Oroville spillway. Near my cousin in Northern California. Best wishes from Northern Canada.

[@zapfanzapfan]

@@CruisingTheCut Seems to be pretty much the same. Cracks and joints between slabs allowed water penetration causing erosion and movement of the slabs. Inadequate initial design followed by poor maintenance. Fixing Oroville cost something like a billion. Practical Engineering has a couple of good videos and Blancolirio is a local pilot who covered the progression of the problems 6 years ago and the following repair.

[@CaptainInquisitive-gh1fp]

Reservoir Vlogs was good, but Stormy Denials is so far unmatched!

[@CruisingTheCut]

That's my favourite one so far too 🤣🤣

[@davehollingworth5537]

❤

[@paulchappell]

Given the large or extensive side exit for the overflow from the reservoir, is the entrance to the rebuilt spillway adequate to cope with an unusually large rainfall, a suddenly increased reservoir, and a torrent of water arriving into the spillway? I am not an engineer but I’m thinking lots of water is anticipated by the size of that side exit from the reservoir. Where is all that water to go?

[@Ice_Karma]

I understand the frustration, but your responses to all the people who commented on you saying the reservoir was in Yorkshire when it's in Derbyshire come across as being more than a bit tetchy. It's unfortunate, but generally speaking, people aren't going to read the description and all the existing comments before posting one. I don't use KZbin on my phone much, but there's more friction involved in looking at those in the app than on the website, and I suspect that nowadays, more people use the app than the website. In a Vandemonium video about van electrics, you mentioned people perceiving your response to their suggestions as being "aggressive"; I got that vibe too, and I get it from your replies to commenters mentioning the location mix-up. Please forgive me for pointing this out, but... as someone who's struggled for decades, and still struggles, with being perceived -- in my opinion, unjustly -- as being "scary" when I get fired up about something... if many people are misinterpreting your responses, the problem isn't them, it's _you._

[@CruisingTheCut]

I have reviewed them all and one - just one - was tetchy. All the rest were either purely factual or were a good-tempered self-deprecating reply from me.

[@paultrussy]

Whaley Bridge is in Derbyshire, not Yorkshire.

[@andyrbush]

The ability of UK authorities to neglect their resources and responsibilities is amazing.

[@davidhudson5452]

Happens every were

[@soviut303]

Go volunteer for the Canal and River Trust. Then you can inspect hundreds of km of unused Victorian-era infrastructure in case of a 100 year event.

[@andyrbush]

@@soviut303 Good idea thank you

[@CaptainArloNJ]

Will the CRT attempt to restore the backup reservoirs' connectivity to the canals even with the new Toddbrook spillway in place?

[@CruisingTheCut]

I don't know, probably should have asked that 🙄

[@CaptainArloNJ]

@@CruisingTheCut Don't kick yourself. Save it for next time. 😊 I'm guessing it would be a large undertaking to reclaim access that was disregarded by others.

[@freddypflugbeil6]

Thanks. Please do more COOL THINGS TO SEE AND HEAR ABOUT ON CRUISING THE CUT

[@CruisingTheCut]

I WILL

[@freddypflugbeil6]

Hope to see more shows. Thanks from New York

[@2LaneTraveler]

Mankind to River: "You go where I tell you to go." River to Mankind: "LOL, no."

[@BadGaming101]

any mention of flood management plan