198 FOEESTS, WOODS, AND TREES 



Baildon Urban District Council obtains its' water supply 

 in part from Weecher reservoir, with a gathering ground of 

 379 acres on Rombalds Moor, all moorland, without any 

 plantations or arable land, and with only one inhabited 

 house upon it. The Council owns none of the gathering 

 ground. The water is not filtered ; " and no precautions 

 are considered necessary against contamination." 



Kelghley obtains its water supply at present from the 

 Watersheddles reservoir, at the head of the river Worth, 

 at 1100 feet elevation, with a gathering ground of 1600 

 acres ascending to 1575 feet. Ponden reservoir, at 763 

 feet elevation, two miles down stream, with a catchment 

 area of 8 6 3 acres, provides compensation water to the river. 

 These two contiguous areas are situated on the higher 

 portions of the Oakworth, Stanbury, and Trawden Moors, on 

 the borders of Yorkshire and Lancashire ; and consist 

 mainly of moorland over Millstone Grit, without any 

 plantations and with only 143 acres of arable land. The 

 Corporation have acquired the freehold of 2577 acres, and 

 have also obtained powers to make bye- laws for the 

 prevention of nuisances and pollution on the areas, which 

 are without any population or habitations ; but no special 

 bye-laws have been as yet drawn up. The annual rainfall 

 at Watersheddles reservoir varies between 39'81 and 68*19 

 inches, averaging 50'30 inches for 19 years. The water 

 is slightly brownish in colour and has an acid reaction, 

 owing to the peat ; and to obviate its action on lead, it 

 is passed through filters at Oldfield. 



At present new waterworks are being carried out by the 

 Keighley Corporation in the Sladen Valley, where a reservoir 

 called Lower Laithe is being formed by the construction of 

 an earthen embankment across Sladen Beck, in Haworth 

 and Stanbury parishes. The catchment area, 1080 acres, 

 of which 1000 acres are owned by the Corporation, lies 

 between 741 feet, the level of the reservoir, and 1450 feet 

 elevation. There are no plantations on any of the catchment 

 areas ; but a scheme of afforestation was under consideration 



