Glenlochar Barrage

Today's the day .................... to regulate the flow

Glenlochar Barrage is a structure on Loch Ken - a 14km-long freshwater loch to the northwest of Castle Douglas - and is a major part of the Galloway Hydro-Electric Project. It was designed to regulate the water level in the major part of the loch to the north and still allow unrestricted flood outflows towards the River Dee to the south.

The barrage, designed by Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners, was completed in 1934 and is 103m long and 10.7m high overall. As a result of it, the water level of Loch Ken was raised by almost two metres. Its gates can be operated either manually, by electric push-button control from the steel overbridge above the barrage, or by remote control from Tongland Power Station.  There are six lifting gates, three on either side of a central 6m wide fish pass.  They weigh 11.2 tonnes each and were delivered to site fully assembled.

 The outflow through the barrage is restricted to the volume required by the generators at Tongland Power Station, since the small reservoir behind Tongland Dam is not sufficient for the station's needs. If the loch's water level rises above 45m, the barrage gates automatically lift clear and allow water to dissipate................