Queen Mother Reservoir
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The Queen Mother Reservoir is a
public water supply In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichke ...
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
that lies between the M4 and the M25 to the west of
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, close to Datchet. It is in size or about 1 km in diameter - making it one of the largest inland areas of water in Southern England. It is managed by
Thames Water Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is a large private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north Wiltsh ...
. This is one of a number of reservoirs to the west of
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and was completed in 1976. It was inaugurated on 9 July that year by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, after whom it is named. Its water is pumped from the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
nearby. The water improves in quality during its retention in the reservoir as solids settle and organic contaminants are
adsorbed Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions or molecules from a gas, liquid or dissolved solid to a surface. This process creates a film of the ''adsorbate'' on the surface of the ''adsorbent''. This process differs from absorption, in which a ...
and degraded through a combination of natural biological processes aided by sunlight and oxygenation. Water from the reservoir is treated (often using
slow sand filter Slow sand filters are used in water purification for treating raw water to produce a potable product. They are typically deep, can be rectangular or cylindrical in cross section and are used primarily to treat surface water. The length and bre ...
s) before being put into supply as London tap water. The reservoir contains a limnological tower. During the design and early construction it was called the Datchet reservoir due to its closeness to the town. Engineering design data for the Queen Mother reservoir is as follows. The reservoir lies within the Colne Valley regional park and like other local reservoirs is popular for sailing and bird-watching.
Petrel Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. Description The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group (all except the albatross f ...
s have been spotted at this reservoir.Thames Water official website - Birdwatching
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See also

* London water supply infrastructure


References


External links


Datchet Water Sailing Club
Reservoirs in Berkshire Thames Water reservoirs 1976 establishments in England Datchet Drinking water reservoirs in England {{Berkshire-geo-stub