Welsh Water donates community bench overlooking Europe’s largest clay core dam in Brecon Beacons

• Welsh Water donates community bench to popular tourist attraction following £1.8 million investment project.
• The 300ft spillway at Llyn Brianne Reservoir is one of the largest of its kind in the World.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water are delighted to donate a community bench at Llyn Brianne reservoir following a £1.8 Million investment to refurbish the spillway at the popular tourist attraction in the Brecon Beacons National ParkWork to the spillway, which is the structure used to control the release of water from the reservoir helping to protect the dam from flood damage, included repairs to the chute and base walls. The work now allows an improved flow of water into the River Tywi, with flows being discharged into the river through a Hydroelectric Station constructed at the base of the dam. Llyn Brianne was constructed between 1968 and 1972 and houses Europe’s largest clay core dam, standing at a height of just over 300 feet (91 meters).

The bench was installed on Friday 22nd October 2021 by Welsh Water and Lewis Civil Engineering Ltd who were contractors working on the upgrade. The new community bench is overlooking one of the UKs largest spillways and the tallest dam in the UK at 91m at Llyn Brianne reservoir.

Local councillor, Handel Davies of Carmarthenshire, who visited the site where the bench is located, said “The new bench seating is ideally situated to enjoy the Llyn Brianne dam and spillway in all its glory. As a schoolchild I remember the dam being built as many workers stayed in the locality including a few lodgers at our house in Cynghordy. My older brother actually worked on the spillway during the summer holidays when he was a student, so it is somewhat poignant to return to visit today to observe the extensive repairs that have recently been undertaken to the spillway some fifty or so years later.”

Welsh Water’s Project Manager, Dean Williams said; “Our £1.8 million investment will keep this asset in good condition for us to ensure we continue to provide customers in the area with a first-class drinking water supply. As a not-for-profit company we continue to invest in our assets to strengthen our resilience and continue to improve the service to our customers.”