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Queen Mother Reservoir

Coordinates: 51°28′55″N 0°32′56″W / 51.48194°N 0.54889°W / 51.48194; -0.54889
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Queen Mother Reservoir
Reservoir and sailing club
LocationBerkshire, England
Coordinates51°28′55″N 0°32′56″W / 51.48194°N 0.54889°W / 51.48194; -0.54889
Typereservoir
Basin countriesUnited Kingdom
Surface area475 acres (1.92 km2)

The Queen Mother Reservoir is a public water supply reservoir that lies between the M4 and the M25 to the west of London. It is 475 acres (1.92 km2) in size or about 1 km in diameter - making it one of the largest inland areas of water in Southern England.[1] It is managed by Thames Water.

This is one of a number of reservoirs to the west of London and was built in 1976. It was inaugurated on 9 July that year by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, after whom it is named.[2] Its water is pumped from the River Thames nearby.[3] The water improves in quality during its retention in the reservoir as solids settle and organic contaminants are adsorbed and degraded through a combination of natural biological processes aided by sunlight and oxygenation. Water from the reservoir is treated (often using slow sand filters) before being put into supply as London tap water.[4]

The reservoir lies within the Colne Valley regional park and like other local reservoirs is popular for sailing and bird-watching. Petrels have been spotted at this reservoir.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Datchet Water sailing club
  2. ^ "The Queen Mother Reservoir - some aspects of its design and construction" (PDF). geplus.co.uk. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  3. ^ BBC News Homes flooded by reservoir leak Saturday, 8 April 2006
  4. ^ News Release Thames Water Employs Reservoir Profiler to Reduce Costs (6 June 2007) Archived September 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Thames Water official website - Birdwatching