THE Environment Agency has finally unveiled its plans for the decommissioning of the former Jacks Key reservoir in Darwen.

The area around Jacks Key has been empty for some years, with the water being drained from the reservoir a long time ago, but the land itself now belongs to the Queen’s estate after the previous landowner went bust in 2005.

Two years ago, the Environment Agency unveiled plans to transform and partly refill the reservoir, turning it into a wetland habitat, and for Blackburn with Darwen Council to take ownership of the site once the work was completed.

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However, those plans were forced to be changed and now the Agency wants to decommission the site altogether and return it to its natural state.

In documents submitted to the council requesting an ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ screening, project manager Paul Robertshaw said: “It became clear that it was not possible to deliver the original scheme in a way which retained the flood storage benefits of the reservoir as well as meeting the requirements of the Reservoirs Act.

“As a result of these findings further, more detailed hydraulic modelling was undertaken using up to date survey information to better understand the flood storage benefits of the reservoir.

"This determined that the benefits are significantly less than as assessed at appraisal stage, although it is recognised that six properties would remain at risk of flooding in a significant flood event as a result of removal of the dam.

"The decision was therefore taken to take forward the option for decommissioning the reservoir in order to remove the flood risk. The most appropriate means of achieving this is to remove the dam and return the environment to a condition approaching its natural state.”

The Agency proposes to remove the main earth dam and use the excavated material to landscape the reservoir basin and eastern edge of the site.

It will also remove a second smaller dam and make any reservoir-related structures safe. There will be a new river channel constructed through Jacks Key Clough, between the two dams, and the creation of a small permanent wetland area and pond within the former reservoir basin. A new flood defence will be built at Clough Street, off Watery Lane. The key objective is to make the reservoir safe before May 31, 2016.

Mr Robertshaw added: “Construction works are anticipated to be complete within 11 months, subject to weather conditions, with an additional period to complete the landscape works.”