Angus volunteers working to bring an ancient well back into use have been given the go-ahead to excavate.
Keptie Friends, a sub-group of Arbroath in Bloom, will this week take another small step forward when they dig a shallow trench.
Until 1908 the Nolt Loan Well provided Arbroath with its only public water supply and Keptie Friends want to bring it back into use to curb the algae problem that blights Keptie Pond every year.
On Wednesday they will undertake the shallow excavation required to expose the well rim, assess the condition of brickwork, and afterwards restore the area.
Volunteer George Park said: “Colin Hunter and I went to the suspected well location at Nolt Loan, armed with a battery powered drill and a three feet long drill bit.
“Holes were drilled, over our target area in a straight line at three inch centres.
“The bit sunk effortlessly full depth where only soil was encountered but only sunk around 10-12 inches when the suspected rim was encountered.
“We plotted the curvature of the suspected rim over a distance of approximately five feet and we are 99% sure that this is the location but visual confirmation is now needed.
“We now have consent to excavate a shallow trench four feet long, two feet wide and up to 18 inches deep following a risk assessment.
“We also hope to video the moment when the first brick sees the light of day for the first time in 107 years.”
Keptie Friends want to re-use the supply — which currently seeps its unhindered way to the sea — to tackle the unsightly scum which blooms on Keptie Pond in warm temperatures.
The pond leaks at an average of 22,000 gallons per day and when water levels are low in summer water temperatures rise and when high nutrient levels are present algae flourishes.
The problem is tackled by diluting nutrient levels by maintaining a high water level and a throughput of fresh water.
However mains water comes at an unsustainable cost.
Before an engineering design can be formulated, it is necessary to determine the condition of the infilled well.
Subject to a satisfactory survey, it would be the group’s intention to raise funding for the excavation of the well, and for the installation of a power supply, underground pump station, and associated pipework.
A first well was sunk in 1870 at what is now the junction of Rose Street and Roseberry Place before a decision was taken to stop digging and to erect a 6,000 gallon tank and support structure.
A second well was sunk at what is now the entrance to the park at Keptie Pond, linked by a tunnel to a second, similar, well at what is now the junction of Warslap Avenue and Inchcape Road.
The pumping station was built over the Nolt Loan well and the water was pumped to the new water tower on the top of Keptie Hill.
