The Backwater Dam is situated in the county of Angus in Scotland, 300 metres high at the southern edge of the Grampian Mountains.
Work began on the dam and reservoir in 1964 by the Dundee Corporation Waterworks and was completed in 1969 when it was opened by Queen Elizabeth II.
A plaque at the beginning of the track running up the west side of the reservoir reads as follows:
'This dam is the first in Great Britain where because of adverse sub-surface conditions, chemical grouting has been employed to form the water tight cut off curtain across the valley beneath the embankment.
The reservoir so formed fully utilises the rainfall from the Lintrathen catchment and yields an additional 40,860 cubic metres per day. It is situated in such a position that water from the River Isla catchment can be diverted into it by aqueduct later.
Height of Dam 42.6 metres
Length of Dam 570 metres
Capacity of Reservoir 24.55 million cubic metres
Construction 1964-1968 Dundee Corporation Waterworks
Engineer and Manager - J. Scrimgeour
1968-69 The East of Scotland Water Board Engineer to the Board - J. A. N. McGeoch
Consulting Engineers - Babtie, Shaw & Morton
Resident Engineer - T. Dymock
Consulting Architects - Baxter, Clark & Paul
Grouting and Tunnelling - Soil Mechanics / Soletanche Ltd.
Embankment and Ancillary Work - Balfour Beatty (Scotland) Ltd.'
A plaque beside the car park on the west side of the dam reads as follows:
'THE BACKWATER RESERVOIR
Inaugurated by THE QUEEN on 9th October 1969
These works were initiated by Dundee Corporation following regionalisation of water supplies in Scotland
They were completed by the East of Scotland Water Board
Chairman Robert W. Murray J.P.'
The reservoir and the Loch of Lintrathen three miles to the south, provide the water supply for the City of Dundee, and parts of Angus and Perthshire. The dam can be reached from a minor road a mile north from the B951 road. There is a car park at the dam on its west side, with the road continuing across the dam wall where it runs up the eastern side of the reservoir for a further two miles to another car park. The reservoir is nearly three miles long and half a mile across. Brown trout fishing is available with a permit from the Lintrathen Angling Association.