Sandown & district water supply
Under the Isle of Wight Waterworks Act, 1861, the Isle of Wight Waterworks Company was established by local gentlemen to initially supply Sandown with water abstracted from the River Yar at Lake Common. Later the Isle of Wight Central Railway would build their Sandown/Newport track alongside the River Yar - (2020 the old railway track is the cycle track). An open reservoir was built at the top of Lake hill to supply the town.
Later a covered reservoir was built on Brading Down to supply Brading.
The Sandown Urban District Council purchased the company in 1928. Under the Local Government Act of 1933, Sandown and Shanklin UDC's merged and the water supply of both came together.
In 1951 the Isle of Wight Water Board took over responsibilities and subsequently the network was further extended to supply St Helens, Seaview and the east part of Ryde.
Abstraction capacity had been increased with a new new intake at Alverstone, with a pipeline along the side of the old railway track to the Lake Common pumping/treatment station. A further reservoir was constructed near Wroxall to supply Shanklin.
Later the Island Board was to come under the Southern Water Board, and in 1989 the industry was privatised.
