 It has a dam height of .The reservoir was built by Skipton Urban District Council to service the needs of a rapidly rising population in the area.Sanctioned by the Skipton Water and Improvement Act of 1904, forty acres of Embsay Pasture were compulsorily purchased from the Duke of Devonshire in 1905, and work started almost immediately, with the engineering contract being awarded to the specialist company, Messrs G H Hill and Sons.