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The Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal was originally planned as a feeder (non-navigable) canal to bring water from the Chilterns near Wendover to the reservoirs feeding the summit level of the Grand Union Canal (at the time known as the Grand Junction) near Tring. The Wendover Arm meets the G.U. a little to the NW of Bulbourne. As the marginal cost of widening the canal to navigabile dimensions was minimal, this was done and the canal opened to traffic in 1799 with a total length of 6.7miles (11km).
However it soon became apparent that the canal was plagued by leakages - so much so, that at times far from providing water to the G.U. it became a net drain on the system. For this reason the canal was closed to traffic in 1897 with a stop-lock being installed at Little Tring with the canal remaining in water from Bulbourne to the Stop Lock. The section of canal from Wendover to Bucklandwharf also remained in water as it was fed by chalk streams, however the middle section between Little Tring Stop Lock and Bucklandwharf had no such regular supply, so some sections of it dried out completely, while others became boggy or stagnant pools.
Nearly a hundred years after the canal's closure, a charitable trust, The Wendover Arm Trust was formed in 1989 with a view to reopening it to canal traffic. The first section to just-beyond Little Tring has been completed, while a good length section from here to Drayton Beauchamp is well advanced as at Spring 2015. The chief obstacles to its completion will be the road bridge carrying the former A41 (now declassified) and issues about the sensitivity of the natural environment nearer Wendover.
For the latest information on the Trust's work see their website here Link

Tringford Reservoir is one of four large reservoirs built to supply water to the Grand Junction Canal (now the Grand Union Canal) at the highest point on the canal between London and the Midlands. It was built in 1816 and the associated pumping station (which is still in use) was built in 1818.
In addition to its use to supply water to the canal it is also a private fishery and for many years it was used as a duck shoot. The adjoining land has become woodland and there is a bird hide. Together with the adjoining reservoirs it is a biological site of special scientific interest and for information on the wildlife visit the Friends of Tring Reservoir site Link