The Queen Mother Reservoir is a public water supplyreservoir that lies between the M4 and the M25 to the west of London, close to Datchet. 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 completed 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 contains a limnological tower.[5]
During the design and early construction it was called the Datchet reservoir due to its closeness to the town.[6]
Engineering design data for the Queen Mother reservoir is as follows.[6]
Parameter
Value
Top water level above ordnance datum
35 m
Volume of water storage
37 million m3
Maximum depth of water
23 m
Water area
192 ha
Maximum height of bank above ground
20 m
Perimeter of bank
5,350 m
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.[7]
