Redhouse Lagoon
This small reservoir was built in the early 1980's on the ings land by the River Ouse, 500 metres north west of Red House. After the drought of 1976 there was a need to transfer some of the natural water flow into areas of high population. So a major engineering project was undertaken to extract water from the River Ouse and pump it 28 kilometres underground to Eccup reservoir near Leeds. Red House was involved in this work as we supplied water from our borehole to the site during the development stage. We also had a disturbed summer when work on the central wall was done. This involved the noisy hammering of countless steel piles into the clay. In the 1990's a further 20 kilometre pipeline was built under the river to Elvington, near York. The red buildings house the pumps and plant necessary to transport the water.
The lagoon now provides a perfect spot for wildlife and anglers and is also a favourite walking area.