The fight to give Glasgow its first clean water supply

THE Loch Katrine Water Works were officially opened on October 14, 1855 by Queen Victoria.

For its time it was a very ambitious scheme to increase and improve Glasgow ‘s water supply, aiming to provide 50 million gallons of water in any one day.

Until the early 1800s the city’s main water supply was a collection of ancient public wells, the River Clyde and streams. The quality of water from these sources was dubious. One 1848 report, now in the City Archives, states that ‘fluids’ from the sewers were likely flowing into at least two old wells, and lists other wells including those at George Street, Glassford Street and St Vincent Street, as ‘impure’. The quantity of water was also far from sufficient for the needs of the city’s growing population and industry, or for fighting any fires.

From 1807 several private water companies attempted to solve the issue but failed mostly due to financial reasons. The tragic 1848 outbreak of cholera intensified the demand for a better water supply. Eventually in 1852 Glasgow Corporation decided to take over and appointed English civil engineer John Frederick Bateman, who was just then becoming known for his work with water supply, to look into possible solutions.

Bateman produced a report, held in our archives, which recommended using Loch Katrine, around 40 miles outside of Glasgow.

His proposed scheme was vehemently opposed by existing private water companies, landowners and even the Admiralty, who claimed the loch’s water was impure and that such a scheme could affect ships navigating the River Forth.

Careful scientific studies were commissioned that debunked these claims and dredging equipment designed for the River Forth helped the water flow there. Despite the objections, on April 19, 1855, an act of parliament was passed for the work to begin.

It was a huge undertaking, involving tunnelling, the building of an aqueduct 26 miles long, dams across Lochs Vennachar, Loch Drunkie and Loch Katrine, a reservoir at Mugdock, construction of some 20 miles of trunk mains from the reservoir, and 46 miles of new pipes to distribute the water through Glasgow and its suburbs.

It took more than three years to complete and a ceremony was held on October 14, 1859, with speeches from Bateman and others before Queen Victoria turned the handle to open the sluice at

‘The quantity of water was also far from sufficient’

the Royal Cottage rainy conditions.

Not all of Glasgow’s citizens welcomed the change, with the story that one old woman, on the closing of the hazardous public wells complained: “Huh I just canna’ thole that new water, it’s got neither taste nor smell!”

Today, the Loch Katrine works supply more than 230m litres of water a day. in typically