Round the Reservoirs-Worthington Lake- Main Cache Multi-Cache
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Round the Reservoirs-Worthington Lake- Main Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The cache is not at the given co-ords which are for the car parking area. You must first visit Round the Reservoirs- Worthington Lakes- Micro 1 & 2 to get the co-ords for the main cache.
Please note that dogs are not allowed.
This is a walk, on good, level footpaths, of about 1.3km around Worthington Lake, which is one of three reservoirs in an attractive area of woodland. There is all year fishing, a small nature reserve and plenty of wildlife, especially birds, to be seen.
By the mid 1800’s the population of the Wigan area had increased to 30,000 and a crisis arose with increasing demand for clean water.
As a result, a civil engineer, Mr Rawlinson, was commissioned to inspect and survey the country around Wigan and report on options for a new water supply scheme. The water course chosen, starting at Seven Stars brook, flowing under Harrock Hall to the east of the Parbold Ridge, continued into the Douglas Valley. This was chosen as a suitable site for the Worthington Reservoirs.
1858 the River Douglas was diverted through a tunnel to the east of the valley to enable work on two earth embankments and water treatment works to be started. The estimated cost for all the work was between £25,000 & £30,000. Modifications at the site were needed due to a concern about flooding the mines along a geological fault crossing the site and so another embankment was constructed along the fault line. By 1867 the whole works were completed including connection to the distribution system of the Wigan areas.
The Arley and Worthington reservoirs had by-passes to enable them to be operated individually. When the reservoirs are low, the earthenware pipeline along the side of Arley reservoir and the cast iron pipeline along Worthington reservoir are visible today.
The original treatment process was by slow sand filtration, flowing by gravity from the draw-off tower to the filter beds. The water was piped to a water tank at the foot of the dam and then to a second tank before flowing along a gravity trunk main down the Douglas Valley. This second tank can be seen today, a very long, low building with a pitched roof at the foot of the dam.
When full, Worthington Reservoir is about 9 metres deep and has a capacity of 546 million litres. If required, the water treatment works today could filter and chlorinate up to 8 million litres of water a day.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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Treasures
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