The Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir lies to the south of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 and to the west of the Island Barn Reservoir

Island Barn Reservoir

The Island Barn Reservoir lies south of the River Thames in England at West Molesey. The reservoir is large with a capacity of 992 million gallons and is managed by Thames Water. It is within the borough of Elmbridge and is surrounded by the River Mole to the west and the River Ember to the east...

. To the north are the reservoirs of Bessborough

Bessborough Reservoir

The Bessborough Reservoir lies to the south of the River Thames in Surrey near the Knight Reservoir and the Molesey Reservoirs. The A3050 runs to the north of the reservoir and the neighbouring town is Molesey...

 and Knight

Knight Reservoir

The Knight Reservoir lies to the west of the Bessborough Reservoir, south of the River Thames and the A3050. The neighbouring town is Molesey....

. The A3050 runs to the north of the reservoir and it is situated in Walton on Thames. It is managed by Thames Water

Thames Water

Thames Water Utilities Ltd, known as Thames Water, is the private utility company responsible for the public water supply and waste water treatment in large parts of Greater London, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Kent, and some other areas of in the United Kingdom...

.

The reservoir was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1935, but construction was halted on the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Work did not begin again until 1957 and it was commissioned in 1962. The reservoir covers 317 acres (1.3 km²), has a mean depth of 15.3 m, a maximum depth of 17.8 m and holds 4,300 million gallons .

Bewick's swan

Bewick's Swan

The Tundra Swan is a small Holarctic swan. The two taxa within it are usually regarded as conspecific, but are also sometimes split into two species, Cygnus bewickii of the Palaearctic and the Whistling Swan, C. columbianus proper, of the Nearctic...

s have been spotted on this reservoir.