River Lee Diversion from A110 Lea Valley Road

The River Lee Diversion is located in the

Lea Valley The Lea Valley (also spelt Lee Valley), the valley of the River Lea, has been used as a transport corridor, a source of sand and gravel, an industrial area, a water supply for London, and a recreational area. The London 2012 Summer Olympics wer ...

, close to

Enfield Lock Enfield Lock is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, north London. It is approximately located east of the Hertford Road between Turkey Street and the Holmesdale Tunnel overpass, and extends to the River Lee Navigation, including the En ...

and to the north east corner of the

King George V Reservoir The King George V Reservoir, also known as King George's Reservoir, is located in the London Borough of Enfield and is part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain that supplies London with drinking water. The storage reservoir is bordered by Sewardst ...

History

As its name implies, the

River Lea The River Lea ( ) is in the East of England and Greater London. It originates in Bedfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills, and flows southeast through Hertfordshire, along the Essex border and into Greater London, to meet the River Thames at Bow Cr ...

was diverted to accommodate the construction of the Chingford Reservoirs and the Banbury Reservoir.

Course

Before skirting the eastern boundary of the King George V Reservoir, the river is joined by the

River Lee Flood Relief Channel The Lee Flood Relief Channel (FRC) is located in the River Lea, Lea Valley and flows between Ware, Hertfordshire, and Stratford, London, Stratford, east London. Work started on the channel in 1947 Thames flood, 1947 following major flooding and ...

. The man-made, steep, concrete-banked water flows under Lea Valley Road ( A110 road), before forming a boundary with the

William Girling Reservoir The William Girling Reservoir is located in the London Borough of Enfield and is part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain that supplies London with drinking water. It is named after William Girling OBE, a chairman of the Metropolitan Water Board ( ...

. It flows under the

North Circular Road The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London. It runs from Chiswick in the west to North Woolwich in the east via suburban north London, connecting var ...

at the Lea Valley Viaduct before skirting the western perimeter of the Banbury Reservoir, then flows close and parallel to the

River Lee Navigation The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea (also called the River Lee along the sections that are navigable). It flows from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek; its first lock is Hertford Lock and i ...

, passing to the west of the

Lockwood Reservoir Lockwood Reservoir is located in Walthamstow in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is one of the ten Walthamstow Reservoirs, which are part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain. The reservoirs supply drinking water to London and are owned ...

. It continues past

Stonebridge Lock Stonebridge Lock (No16) is a paired lock on the River Lee Navigation in the London Borough of Haringey, England and is located near Tottenham, London. Like other locks as far as Ponder's End Lock it is large enough to take barges of up to 130 to ...

and

Tottenham Lock Tottenham Lock (No17) is a paired lock on the River Lee Navigation in the London Borough of Haringey, England and is located near Tottenham, London. Like other locks as far as Ponders End it is large enough to take barges of up to 130 tons. The p ...

, then merges with the

below Ferry Lane ( A503 road).

Water supply

The river feeds water to some of the reservoirs in 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 ...

Ecology

The clean, well-oxygenated, concrete-lined, fast-flowing water provides the ideal environment for the

barbel Barbel may refer to: *Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles *Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish **''Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprini ...

. Also, of note is the fish-eating bird the

goosander The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (''Mergus merganser'') is a large sea duck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. The common merganser eats mainly fish. It nests in holes in trees. ...

which feeds in the river. English Nature
Retrieved 18 May 2010

Access

Access is limited as the river mainly flows through

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 ...

property.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee Diversion, River Rivers of London London water infrastructure Thames Water