The story of Belfast’s growth as a city is also the story of a constant struggle for adequate supplies of fresh water for its citizens.
The rapid expansion of Belfast in the 18th and 19th centuries created an increased demand for fresh water. This had previously been supplied from natural springs, but now a more structured approach was needed.
The Belfast Water Act of 1840 placed Commissioners in charge of supply, and several programmes of works were put in place, bringing more springs into service. By 1852, however, the city was again running short of fresh water.
In the late 1800s a series of Parliamentary Acts allowed for the creation of new reservoirs, and the boundary for the water system was extended to Wolf Hill, Knock and Shaw’s Bridge.
In 1891 the recently created Water Board developed the Mourne Scheme, with water intakes created along the Kilkeel and Annalong rivers, while the Mourne reservoir was being built.
By 1960, however, a shortage was again looming. Lough Neagh was identified as a solution, and today provides as much as 20 million gallons of water per day.
THE RIVER LAGAN & LAGAN WEIR
By the 1980s the place where the Lagan meets the saltwater of Belfast Lough had become a fetid mudflat devoid of wildlife. A £14m project, jointly funded by Laganside Corporation and the European Commission tackled the issue through the creation of the Lagan Weir.
Completed in 1994, the Weir was one of the largest civil engineering projects undertaken in Northern Ireland to date. The quality of the Lagan water improved dramatically, with trout, salmon and eels all returning to the river.
Is ionann scéal an fháis i mBéal Feirste agus scéal na troda síoraí le soláthar fíoruisce a fháil do na saoránaigh ann.
Tháinig méadú ar an éileamh ar fhíoruisce mar gheall ar an fhás ghasta i mBéal Feirste san 18ú agus san 19ú haois. Tháinig sé seo ó na toibreacha nádúrtha roimhe seo, ach bhí cur chuige níos struchturtha de dhíth anois.
Chuir The Belfast Water Act 1840 na Coimisinéirí i gceannas ar an tsoláthar, agus cuireadh cuid mhór clár oibreacha i bhfeidhm le níos mó toibreacha a chur ar obair. Fá 1852, áfach, bhí an fíoruisce ag éirí gann arís sa chathair.
Go mall sna 1800í, cheadaigh sraith Achtanna Parlaiminte do chruthú na dtaiscumar nua, agus leathnaíodh an teorainn don chóras uisce go dtí Cnoc an Mhic Tíre, Cnoc agus Droichead Seoighe.
Sa bhliain 1891, d’fhorbair an Bord Uisce nua Scéim Bheanna Boirche, agus cruthaíodh iontógálacha uisce ar feadh Abhainn Chill Chaoil agus Abhainn Áth na Long, agus taiscumar Bheanna Boirche á thógáil.
Fán bhliain 1960, áfach, bhí ganntanas i ndán dúinn arís. Aithníodh Loch nEathach mar réiteach, agus cuireann sé suas le 20 milliún galún uisce ar fáil achan lá.
ABHAINN AN LAGÁIN & CORA AN LAGÁIN
Fá na 1980í, bhí an áit a mbuaileann Abhainn an Lagáin le sáile Loch Lao ina réileán láibe lofa gan fiadhúlra. Chuaigh tionscadal £14m a bhí comhchistithe ag Laganside Corporation agus an Coimisiún Eorpach i ngleic leis an tsaincheist trí Chora an Lagáin a chruthú.
Críochnaíodh an chora sa bhliain 1994, agus bhí sí ar na tionscadail innealtóireachta is mó i dTuaisceart Éireann go dtí sin. Tháinig feabhas as cuimse ar chaighdeán an uisce in Abhainn an Lagáin, agus phill na bric, na bradáin agus na heascanna ar an abhainn.