High Maynard Reservoir is located in
Walthamstow
Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...
in the
London Borough of Waltham Forest
The London Borough of Waltham Forest () is an Outer London, outer London boroughs, London borough formed in 1965 from the merger of the municipal boroughs of Municipal Borough of Leyton, Leyton, Municipal Borough of Walthamstow, Walthamstow an ...
. The storage
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
is one of the
Lee Valley Reservoir Chain
The Lee Valley Reservoir Chain is located in the Lee Valley, and comprises 13 reservoirs that supply drinking water to London.
The Reservoir Chain, together with the flood plain which it occupies, is a major geographic constraint; together with ...
and supplies drinking water to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
History
In 1852, the
East London Waterworks Company
The East London Waterworks Company was one of eight private water companies in London absorbed by the Metropolitan Water Board in 1904.
The company was founded by the ( 47 Geo. 3 Sess. 2. c. lxxii).
Under the ( 48 Geo. 3. c. viii) the c ...
was granted permission to develop land at Walthamstow for reservoirs and by 1863, the first stage of the reservoirs development was completed with the construction of Reservoir Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Construction of the High Maynard reservoir was completed in 1870 by the
East London Waterworks Company
The East London Waterworks Company was one of eight private water companies in London absorbed by the Metropolitan Water Board in 1904.
The company was founded by the ( 47 Geo. 3 Sess. 2. c. lxxii).
Under the ( 48 Geo. 3. c. viii) the c ...
on former
marshland
In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...
and is now owned and managed by
Thames Water
Thames Water Utilities Limited, trading as Thames Water, is a British private utility company responsible for the water supply and waste water
Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking w ...
.
Ecology
The water is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
(SSSI). In winter,
cormorants
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) ado ...
roost on the island with their numbers reaching nationally important levels.
[ Retrieved November 23, 2007] The fringes of the reservoir contain many plant species that are uncommon to
Greater London
Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...
.
Recreation
The water is open to the public and is popular with
birdwatchers
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...
,
walkers and
anglers.
See also
*
London water supply infrastructure
London's water supply infrastructure has developed over the centuries in line with the expansion of London.
Beginning in the 16th century, private companies supplied fresh water to parts of London from wells and the River Thames. The New River ...
References
{{authority control
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in London
Thames Water reservoirs
Reservoirs in London
Drinking water reservoirs in England