The major flood defence scheme has been carried out by the council and was required under the Reservoirs Act 2010.
It includes a new, larger capacity spillway and river training works to control the top water in the reservoir during extreme weather conditions and to ensure it continues to operate safely during the most severe storms reducing the flood risk to the village of Furnace.
The pond had to be closed for more than a year whilst the works were carried out due to the scale of the project.
It was re-opened to the public at the start of the summer, although works were still ongoing.
The scheme is now almost complete, with a new footbridge being installed within the next two weeks.
The council’s grounds maintenance team will then be able to access the site to tidy up the whole area. This will include grass cutting and strimming, weed spraying and litter-picking and making sure the lifebelts are in place.
Unfortunately, there have been recent incidents of vandalism in the area, with lifebelts set on fire and litter strewn everywhere.
Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “It was necessary to carry out the flood defence scheme at Furnace Pond. As it was a large engineering project the whole area had to be closed to the public. However, the works are almost complete and our grounds maintenance team will then be able to access the site and clean it up.”
