Can the City increase storage capacity at Loch Lomond as an alternative to desalination?
Increasing the capacity of the Loch Lomond reservoir has been studied in the past, though it cannot provide much more water without completely tearing down the existing dam and reconstructing it to make it more structurally sound and high enough to make a difference in terms of water supply availability. From an operational perspective, this would be impossible as the City cannot take Loch Lomond out of service for the length of time such construction would require. Further, a plan to modify the dam in this fashion could take decades to implement, which would not provide drought protection under current demand conditions for the City or reduce groundwater pumping by the District in the near term.
