John Carruthers was and still is an outdoor enthusiast and this drew him to civil engineering as a career which offered more outdoor opportunities than most. He graduated from Glasgow University in 1965 and as a means of delaying the need to settle down to “a proper job” he went to Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada where he studied for an MSc. His work included some interesting research into erosion of the banks of the St. Lawrence Seaway by both ship and wind generated waves.
Back in Scotland in 1967 he worked for consulting engineers in the Glasgow area mainly on water related projects- water supply, hydro-electric projects and ports and harbours. He became a partner in a small consultancy where eventually general and occasionally crisis management filled his day. The firm eventually through a series of “mergers” became part of a US based consultancy employing 80,000 engineers, environmental and general consultancy staff. He retired at the age of 60 some 19 years ago and still has the good fortune to get out and about.
His talk describes the background, design and construction of the Loch Katrine Water Works from conception in the early 1850s to the completion of the second aqueduct and Craigmaddie Reservoir at Milngavie in 1901. Later extensions including Loch Arklet and Glen Finglas Reservoir are also described as are the developments and improvements that are still underway today. The talk concludes with a brief review of water in today’s world.