Reporting dry watercourses in the Upper Thames catchment

The Environment Agency (EA) are asking for the public’s help in finding out what is happening across the Upper Thames catchment during the current period of dry weather.

If you’ve seen a stream bed that’s dry, or is starting to pond, the EA want to hear about it. You can send a photo, along with the name of the watercourse, the date and location it was taken, and any other relevant information (such as a National Grid Reference or post code) to: Drought_THM@environment-agency.gov.uk

If you see any other environmental impacts that may be caused by dry weather, such as fish in distress or blue/green algal blooms, please report it to the EA’S 24 hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

The Upper Thames catchment received below average rainfall over winter, and as a result the groundwaters weren’t topped up as much as expected. Following a dry April, river flows are starting to fall below normal for the time of year, especially where the river is supported by groundwater. Although there has been some rain in May, it is likely that rivers will be very responsive to further dry weather.

(Via Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) South West)