In 1837 the Swansea Waterworks Company was formed. They constructed a reservoir at Brynmill to supply the needs of the locality. The capacity of the reservoir was 5.5M gallons (25M litres) fed from the Brynmill stream and other sources. However, the reservoir was at too low a level to supply more than the lowest parts of the town and it only managed to supply water intermittently and at insufficient pressure for sensible use. Cholera outbreaks in 1832 and again in 1849 in Swansea emphasised the need for better water supplies in the town in terms of both quality and quantity. In 1852 the local Board of Health purchased the Swansea Works Company and its Brynmill Reservoir for a sum of £25,250. They eventually closed the resevior and the area soon ceased to be a water supply for the town. In 1871 the land surrounding the reservoir came under Swansea Corporation control. Since the land had been informally used for picnics by the general public since the 1840’s it was then developed as a formal park with the initial construction taking place in the 1870’s. It soon became Swansea's first informal park. By 1913 the area had been officially named Brynmill Park. The park and lake supports a population of Whooper Swans and many other waterfowl. There are also more formal flower gardens a bowling green, childrens play area and a Discovery Centre with a large one-way glass window looking out over the lake and the nesting area where visitors are able to observe the nesting birds.