Glencorse Reservoir is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 in Midlothian

Midlothian

Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, UK, two miles west of Glencorse, in the Pentland Hills

Pentland Hills

The Pentland Hills are a range of hills to the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The range is around 20 miles in length, and runs south west from Edinburgh towards Biggar and the upper Clydesdale.Some of the peaks include:* Scald Law...

.

It is retained by an earth dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

, and it was built between 1820 and 1824 by James Jardine

James Jardine

James Jardine was a Scottish civil engineer, mathematician and geologist. He was the first person to determine mean sea level.He was born in Applegarth, Dumfriesshire, on 30 November 1776, the son of a farmer...

 to provide water for the mills of Auchendinny

Auchendinny

Auchendinny is a small village near Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland. The village had a paper mill at Dalmore, until its closure in 2005. Nearby Auchendinny House was the last country house designed by gentleman architect Sir William Bruce.-References:...

, Milton Bridge and Glencorse, and to supply drinking water to the citizens of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

. The reservoir is the property of Scottish Water

Scottish Water

Scottish Water is a statutory corporation in Scotland that provides water and sewerage services. Unlike in England and Wales, water and sewerage provision in Scotland continues as a public corporation accountable to the public through the Scottish Government....

.

The reservoir is not the primary source of drinking water for Edinburgh, but instead provides a top-up supply when the principal supply from the Megget Reservoir

Megget Reservoir

Megget Reservoir is a man-made water body in Ettrick Forest, in the Scottish Borders. The reservoir is held back by the largest earth dam in Scotland. The reservoir collects water from the Tweedsmuir Hills, which is then conveyed via pipelines to Edinburgh...

 and Talla Reservoir

Talla Reservoir

Talla Reservoir, located a mile from Tweedsmuir, Scottish Borders, Scotland, is an earth-work dam fed by Talla Water. The reservoir is supplemented by water from the nearby Fruid Reservoir...

 are low. Glencorse also has inlet points from both of these reservoirs.

See also

• Edgelaw Reservoir
  Edgelaw Reservoir
  Edgelaw Reservoir is an artificial reservoir in Midlothian, Scotland, UK, four miles west of Temple.-See also:*Gladhouse Reservoir*Glencorse Reservoir*North Esk Reservoir*Rosebery Reservoir*List of reservoirs and dams in the United Kingdom...
  
  
• Gladhouse Reservoir
  Gladhouse Reservoir
  Gladhouse Reservoir, formerly Moorfoot Loch, is a reservoir in Midlothian, Scotland, five miles south of Penicuik. It is the largest area of freshwater in the Lothians....
  
  
• North Esk Reservoir
• Rosebery Reservoir
• List of reservoirs and dams in the United Kingdom

External links

• Scottish Water - plans for new Glencorse Water Treatment Works
• Royal Collection of Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: Collaboration Projects with Defence Estates - Archaeological investigation
• BBC Radio Four, Open Country, programme about the Pentland Hills and reservoirs
• Forestry Commission - Picture Library - Glencorse Reservoir
• The Scotsman, 17 February 2008:Walk of the Week - Glencorse, Loganlea and Threipmuir Reservoirs, Pentlands
• Photos of reservoirs