 The construction contract at the amount of £47,164 went to Messrs. Harold Arnold and Son, of Doncaster.During construction of the reservoir, engineers and 150 of the navvy workers employed were accommodated in the Whitfield Syke cotton-mill on the north side of the reservoir.In the mill's warehouse, the Navvy Mission Society, concerned about the welfare of the workers, was allowed to establish a chapel and a reading room.