Drift Reservoir is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 in Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

, UK, just north of Drift

Drift, Cornwall

Drift is a village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom.The village is in the civil parish of Sancreed approximately two miles west of Penzance and six miles from Land's End at...

 village, southwest of Penzance

Penzance

Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...

. The reservoir is approximately a mile (1.6 km) long. It has a large dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

 at its southern end, and at the northern end, splits into a northwestern and a northeastern arm. It is currently operated by South West Water

South West Water

South West Water provides drinking water and waste water services throughout Cornwall and Devon and in small areas of Dorset and Somerset. South West Water came into being in 1989 with the privatisation of the water industry...

.

History

The reservoir was first given statutory approval in 1938 (Under the Penzance Corporation Act 1938) but construction was deferred until after World War II and was finally completed by the West Cornwall Water Board in 1960 and has been since this date the principal source of water for the Penwith area.

Birdwatching

Although generally hosting only small numbers of birds, the reservoir has attracted a considerable number of North American vagrant shorebirds and wildfowl, including a number of Lesser Scaup

Lesser Scaup

The Lesser Scaup is a small North American diving duck that migrates south as far as Central America in winter. It is colloquially known as the Little Bluebill or Broadbill because of its distinctive blue bill...

. Birdwatchers

Birdwatching

Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...

 may use the bird hide

Bird hide

A bird hide is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commonly found in parks and wetlands for the use of bird watchers, ornithologists and other observers who do not...

, sited overlooking the northwestern arm.