Initially, there were plans to create a tunnel from a tributary of the Kallang River to direct more water to Thomson Road Reservoir. However, these plans were repeatedly delayed and incurred huge costs. In 1902, the Municipal Engineer, Robert Peirce, who served in Singapore from 1901 to 1916, submitted a proposal that an impounding reservoir be built on the Kallang River instead.
It was only in 1907 that Peirce's proposal was implemented and works began in June by the Westminster Construction Company. The new reservoir was named "Kallang River Reservoir" to distinguish it from Thomson Road Reservoir. Thomson Road had to be diverted for nearly three miles and an existing swamp on the left of the road was to be flooded and occupied by the dam and reservoir.
Works involved surveying the nature of the underlying ground, excavating the swamp to reach a depth of seven to 15 feet and constructing dams and walls for the reservoir. A tunnel was built to carry pipes through a hill to bring the water to new filter-beds at Woodleigh for treatment and storage.
The reservoir was finally completed in 1910. Water was first drawn in February 1911 while regular supply of water to the town began in December the same year. On 27 March 1912, the Kallang River Reservoir was officially opened by Sir Arthur Henderson Young, Governor of the Straits Settlements (1911-1919). In the same year, the reservoir provided 2,424,000 gallons of water per day to the town. The name of the reservoir was changed in 1922 to "Peirce Reservoir", as tribute to the engineer behind the project.
In 1970, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) began investigating the land around Peirce Reservoir with the intention of enlarging it, and decided to construct a new reservoir on the upper tributary of the Kallang River. The new reservoir, commissioned in 1975, was named Upper Peirce Reservoir and Peirce Reservoir was renamed Lower Peirce.
Today, Lower Peirce Reservoir is a popular recreational spot. It is served by the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, which also boasts of a large variety of flora and fauna. Time your visit in the evening to catch the sunset over the reservoir, and if you are lucky, you may get a glimpse of the local wild boar population in the park!