Posted on:
01 March 2023
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Reservoir Revamp Gets Friends' Approval
01 March 2023
Historic beauty spot Milngavie Reservoirs now hosts an iconic Scottish Water Top Up Tap to help visitors stay hydrated on the go.
Members of local action group Friends of Milngavie Reservoir recently joined Scottish Water at an event to celebrate a hat-trick of key achievements for the site; the launch of the tap, a life-saving defibrillator and the introduction of a much-anticipated ranger service.
Members of local action group Friends of Milngavie Reservoir recently joined Scottish Water at an event to celebrate a hat-trick of key achievements for the site; the launch of the tap, a life-saving defibrillator and the introduction of a much-anticipated ranger service.
Hat-Trick of Enhancements for Milngavie Reservoirs
We launched our Top Up Tap, defibrillator and new ranger service at Milngavie Reservoirs with a little help from our friends.
Eddy Yacoubian, the group’s chairperson, was delighted to be part of the collaborative efforts of Scottish Water and Friends of Milngavie Reservoir delivering such great benefits for Milngavie.“This is a great outcome for the reservoirs and will certainly enhance the area. We have wanted a ranger service at the site for quite some time, so it’s fantastic to see it come to fruition. We also welcome the Top Up Tap and the defibrillator, both of which will bring real health benefits for visitors.
Eddy Yacoubian
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Chairperson, Friends of Milngavie Reservoir
He said: “This is a great outcome for the reservoirs and will certainly enhance the area.
“We have wanted a ranger service at the site for quite some time, so it’s fantastic to see it come to fruition. We also welcome the Top Up Tap and the defibrillator, both of which will bring real health benefits for visitors.”
The shiny, new Top Up Tap proudly sits alongside the newly installed defibrillator, just near to Commissioners’ Cottage at the entrance to the reservoirs via Mugdock Road.
It is a welcome addition to Milngavie’s first Top Up Tap which is in the town centre at the start of the West Highland Way. Since becoming operational in 2019 as part of Scottish Water’s Your Water Your Life campaign, the town centre tap has helped save the equivalent of around 146,340 plastic bottles (330ml).
The ranger service is a first for Scottish Water and will run as a pilot project at three of Scottish Water’s most popular assets – including Gladhouse and Carron Valley reservoirs in Midlothian and Stirlingshire respectively. Delivered in partnership with East Dunbartonshire Council and Mugdock Country Park, the scheme brings three rangers to Milngavie.
Davy Gray, Scottish Water’s rangers’ team manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Milngavie Reservoirs was chosen as a location for trialling our new ranger service.
“The aim is to help visitors get the most out of their experience at Craigmaddie and Mugdock reservoirs.
“As well as providing a welcoming presence and a point of contact, the rangers will be patrolling key routes, litter-picking, and offering guidance and assistance to visitors.
“They will also help educate people on responsible behaviour, while promoting positive messages about what Scottish Water does. It is a win-win for everyone!”
Davy Gray, Scottish Water’s rangers’ team manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Milngavie Reservoirs was chosen as a location for trialling our new ranger service.
“The aim is to help visitors get the most out of their experience at Craigmaddie and Mugdock reservoirs.
“As well as providing a welcoming presence and a point of contact, the rangers will be patrolling key routes, litter-picking, and offering guidance and assistance to visitors.
“They will also help educate people on responsible behaviour, while promoting positive messages about what Scottish Water does. It is a win-win for everyone!”
Georgina Reid, corporate affairs manager in the west region, believes these latest improvements - which form part of a wider investment project at Milngavie Reservoirs - will go a long way towards enhancing visitor experience.
She said: “It is fantastic to see such great progress being made with the introduction of the ranger service, the life-saving defibrillator, and of course our Top Up Tap.
“We are genuinely excited to expand the network of taps we have across the country to take in one of Scottish Water’s most valued and historically significant sites. It is a prime location given that the reservoirs attract around 160,000 visitors each year and people value the area for their own health and wellbeing.
“We look forward to welcoming even more visitors as there is no doubt our ongoing investment project will bring further improvements.
“There’s no excuse for not bringing a refillable water bottle to Milngavie now! It’s a great way to grab a drink of great-tasting Scottish water before getting some steps up on a walk around the reservoirs.”
Multiple projects are due to be undertaken at the site over the next year or so, helping to enhance service to customers across the Greater Glasgow area and bring aesthetic improvements to the site.
The investment project, which is being delivered by Scottish Water’s delivery partner George Leslie, involves an extensive list of further improvements. These include improved footpaths around the reservoirs, a bio-diversity garden, the introduction of a wildlife-themed mini-trail, improved signage, and general site maintenance and upgrades to improve visitor experience and safeguard water supplies.
She said: “It is fantastic to see such great progress being made with the introduction of the ranger service, the life-saving defibrillator, and of course our Top Up Tap.
“We are genuinely excited to expand the network of taps we have across the country to take in one of Scottish Water’s most valued and historically significant sites. It is a prime location given that the reservoirs attract around 160,000 visitors each year and people value the area for their own health and wellbeing.
“We look forward to welcoming even more visitors as there is no doubt our ongoing investment project will bring further improvements.
“There’s no excuse for not bringing a refillable water bottle to Milngavie now! It’s a great way to grab a drink of great-tasting Scottish water before getting some steps up on a walk around the reservoirs.”
Multiple projects are due to be undertaken at the site over the next year or so, helping to enhance service to customers across the Greater Glasgow area and bring aesthetic improvements to the site.
The investment project, which is being delivered by Scottish Water’s delivery partner George Leslie, involves an extensive list of further improvements. These include improved footpaths around the reservoirs, a bio-diversity garden, the introduction of a wildlife-themed mini-trail, improved signage, and general site maintenance and upgrades to improve visitor experience and safeguard water supplies.
