![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/megget-reservoir-the-valley-quenching-edinburghs-thirst/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/131286545_gettyimages-1461438918.jpg&description=Getty Images Millions of gallons of water travel from the Megget Reservoir to the capital every day The Megget Valley was once described as one of the most "inhospitable and bleak" spots in the Borders. And yet, for four decades, people in Edinburgh - nearly 30 miles (50km) away - have been raising a glass in its honour. On 30 September 1983, the Megget Reservoir was officially opened, supplying millions of gallons of water to Scotland's thirsty capital. It was, at the time, the biggest dam in the country. It was not the first time that Edinburgh had turned to the Borders in its search for water supplies. In 1905, the Talla Reservoir was officially opened and the small Fruid Reservoir also saw a dam built in the 1960s. The search for another valley in the area which could be flooded eventually fell upon Megget in the mid-1970s. Its one-teacher school had shut in 1967 and it was home to shepherds and farmers who had worked the area for generations. says Megget is the largest earth embankment dam in the UK They were to be moved on as work began on a massive construction project in 1977 that would take six years to complete. A new road had to be built as the old one lay below what would become the reservoir floor. Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of rock were removed to allow the water to get from the area to Edinburgh. And the site of the historic Cramalt Tower - used by James V of Scotland and Mary Queen of Scots while hunting in the area - was submerged. Part of Cramalt Tower was reconstructed on the banks of the reservoir Its foundations were reconstructed near the shoreline of the reservoir. After a "few hiccups" along the way - as with most major construction schemes - the valley was flooded and the reservoir came online in 1983. It collects water from the Tweedsmuir Hills which is taken 28 miles via underground tunnels and pipelines to Edinburgh. Water is routed through Manor Valley and the Meldon Hills to Gladhouse Reservoir and Glencorse Reservoir in the Pentla){kind=link}
The Megget Valley was once described as one of the most “inhospitable and bleak” spots in the Borders.
And yet, for four decades, people in Edinburgh – nearly 30 miles (50km) away – have been raising a glass in its honour.
On 30 September 1983, the Megget Reservoir was officially opened, supplying millions of gallons of water to Scotland’s thirsty capital.
It was, at the time, the biggest dam in the country.
It was not the first time that Edinburgh had turned to the Borders in its search for water supplies.