 The East London Waterworks Company was founded by Act of Parliament in 1806, and also acquired existing waterworks at Shadwell, Lea Bridge and West Ham.The Grand Junction Waterworks Company was created in 1811 to take advantage of a clause in the Grand Junction Canal Company's Act which allowed them to supply water brought by the canal from the River Colne and River Brent, and from a reservoir in the north-west Middlesex supplied by land drainage.It was thought that these waters would be better than those of the Thames, but in fact they were found to be of poor quality and insufficient to meet demand.