Coordinates: 51°25′34″N 0°23′42″W / 51.426°N 0.395°W Kempton Park Reservoirs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Surrey, England. It consists of a group of reservoirs at Kempton Park between Hanworth and Sunbury on Thames. It is owned by Thames Water.[1]
The facilities at Kempton Park were established in 1897 by the New River company, which was incorporated into the Metropolitan Water Board in 1903.[2] Kempton Park East and Kempton Park West Reservoirs were completed in 1907. A third smaller reservoir, Red House Reservoir, was also constructed, being supplied by the Staines Reservoirs Aqueduct which passed between the other reservoirs on its way to Hampton Water Treatment Works. The Pumping station was opened in 1929 and is now the site of Kempton Park Steam Engines.
Kempton Park East Reservoir was closed in 1980, drained in 1982 and in 1996 had some of the embankments removed to comply with the requirements of The Reservoirs Act for redundant reservoirs. However it has retained a residual amount of water, supplemented by rainfall and since 1996 has been managed actively as a nature reserve. Works have been undertaken to protect and improve the habitats for wetland birds, including refuge islands, deep water channels and reed beds. Waders that breed regularly include lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), redshank (Tringa botanus), ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula) and little ringed plover (Charadrius dubius). The first successful inland breeding in the British Isles of Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) was at this reservoir. Other birds recorded in recent years include smew (Mergus albellus), garganey (Anas crecca), Temminck's stint (Calidris temminckii), spotted crake (Porzana porzana) and red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus).[3]
Kempton Park West Reservoir was also closed and emptied completely.
Red House Reservoir is still operational as a water storage facility. It is secluded and set in woodland which is popular with bats, water vole, grass snakes, newts, frogs and toads. Bats include Common Noctule (Nyctalus noctula), serotine (Eptesicus serotinus), Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentoni) and pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus).
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