The River Severn is one of the UK’s most important rivers, supplying drinking water to around 6 million people while supporting internationally important wildlife and habitats.
The Environment Agency continuously monitors river flows and takes measures to ensure water needs are met while protecting the environment.
If levels drop too low, the river can be topped up by releases of water from 2 reservoirs in Wales or the Shropshire Groundwater Scheme.
The Shropshire Groundwater Scheme is currently contributing around 200 million litres of water a day to the River Severn, equivalent to approximately 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The scheme uses groundwater stored naturally within the sandstone aquifer beneath North Shropshire and transfers it through a 53km network of underground pipelines.
At full capacity, the scheme can release up to 240 million litres of water a day, equivalent to around 96 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
These measures help the Environment Agency maintain river flows at Bewdley in Worcestershire, where the aim is to keep flows above a minimum target of 850 million litres per day, measured as a 5 day average.
The Environment Agency is also responding to the impacts of low water levels on wildlife. On the River Teme in south Shropshire, fish rescue operations have been carried out where conditions have become unsuitable for fish to survive. Members of the public can report fish in distress to the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
A fish rescue on the River Teme where levels are low.
Matthew Lawrence, Manager for the Environment Agency in the West Midlands, said
The River Severn may look like it has healthy summer flows, but this is all down to the work we are doing behind the scene. We are working hard to maintain river levels for people and wildlife. We will continue to monitor the conditions closely and will not hesitate to use our regulatory powers to mitigate the impacts of dry weather on the environment, water supplies and other sectors.
The Environment Agency is working with farmers, growers and water companies to encourage sustainable water use during the dry weather. This includes placing temporary restrictions on abstraction and providing advice around options that could improve access to water.
The National Drought Group met yesterday following the recent heatwave which saw 12 consecutive days of temperatures above 30C. Read more National Drought Group steps up response after third heatwave
The Environment Agency ensures that water companies have robust drought plans in place and works closely with them to ensure that necessary drought measures are implemented.
Decisions on temporary use bans remain the responsibility of individual water companies.
The Environment Agency is a proud support of the Water Efficiency Campaign. This is a campaign designed to help people across England and Wales value and use water differently and help protect supplies.
Together with Defra, the Environment Agency convenes the National Drought Group, bringing together government, water companies and industry to ensure that, when drought occurs, the response is swift, coordinated and effective. Managing drought requires action from regulators, water companies and the public alike.
The Environment Agency will use every tool at its disposal to ensure that all parties play their part and that the necessary measures are taken to protect water for people and wildlife.