Walthamstow ReservoirsThe Walthamstow Reservoirs complex is in Walthamstow in the London Borough of Waltham Forest at Walthamstow. They form part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain which supplies drinking water to London, and are owned and managed by Thames Water.
The complex comprises ten reservoirs, which are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI):
The reservoirs are being developed as a public nature reserve, the Walthamstow Wetlands project, by London Wildlife Trust, in partnership with Thames Water and London Borough of Waltham Forest. The site will open to the public late in 2017. It will still function as a working reservoir.
The reservoirs were constructed on marshland adjoining the River Lea in the mid-19th century by the East London Waterworks Company. There are two Victorian industrial structures on the site, including the Coppermill which gives its name to nearby Coppermill Lane, Coppermill Stream, and the Coppermills Water Treatment Works.
The Walthamstow Reservoirs support the most notable variety of breeding wetland birds among all of London's drinking water reservoirs. The wooded islands on No. 1 reservoir are the location of the famous heronry, at which the numbers of breeding pairs reach a level placing it in the country's top five sites. Formerly also a heronry, the two islands in No. 5 reservoir are now home to large numbers of cormorants.Great crested grebe, pochard, tufted duck, coot, yellow wagtail, sedge warbler and reed warbler are all regular breeding visitors.
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