A deteriorating catalogue of important drainage records has been permanently preserved following a joint project between the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Water.

Thousands of pages of the unique record which dates back as far as 1875 have been painstakingly compiled, indexed and scanned for free public use online.

The original record was stored in reference books and in files which could be requested by the public. Years of page flipping and photocopying has lead to the deterioration of the record which is vital to anyone with plans to renovate, repair or extend their home.

The Council receives around twenty requests a day for copies of individual records from members of the public or contractors carrying out work or trying to solve a drainage problem. Recent record breaking rainfall has doubled demand for the record putting an extra strain on the old files.

Councillor Gordon Mackenzie, Executive Member for Finance and Resources said:
“These unique records really are vital to the people of Edinburgh and it would have been disastrous to lose them. Weeks of meticulous indexing and scanning means that contractors, surveyors, architects and the wider public can access information quickly and with minimum hassle.

“Drainage isn’t an issue that immediately springs to mind but anyone who has had a flood or experienced choked drain knows how important it is to get it fixed quickly. This online service will help those with an emergency or planning works to get the information they need.”

Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland Practice Director, Andrew Leslie said:
“This resource will cover most of Edinburgh’s residential property and will be invaluable for RIAS members and others looking at adding to, replacing, repairing or maintaining the drainage associated with their project or property.”

The new online database contains 110,000 individual records created between 1875 and 1950. Phase 2 of the project will see a further 80,000 records placed online covering the period 1950-2000.