Including Spillway Towers And Weir, Vaich Dam, Conon Valley Hydro Electric Scheme

The Vaich Dam, part of the Conon Valley Hydro Electric Scheme, was designed by Williamson and Partners for the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board in 1957. It features a large turfed rubble dam with a control tower on the west side and two large spill towers near the upstream face. The dam has a mass rubble fill on the downstream face, covered with turf, while the upstream face is constructed of coursed random rubble. The downstream face is battered and topped with a concrete parapet. There are also additional concrete weirs and a lined spillway channel next to the downstream face.

The control tower, located at the center of the dam, has a tall rectangular plan and a deep single-storey section that is visible above the dam wall. This section houses the control gate for the dam dispersal valve. The tower is made of reinforced concrete and features band courses and a banded eaves course. It includes a large vehicular access doorway on the south side with a single window above it, while other windows have irregular placements with small pane glazing in metal surrounds.

The spill towers are large and circular, constructed from concrete piers and lintels in the upper section, which is open and fitted with later metal trash guards. The sidewalls taper downwards and are often partially or completely submerged.