Lack of Water in the River Leach

Following recent enquiries regarding the lack of water in the river, the Environment Agency has advised as follows:

The River Leach is fed by groundwater contained in rocks beneath the surface.   During the winter of 2009-10 we received below average rainfall and little in the spring of 2010.  As a result, the water table has not been high enough to reach the river bed at Northleach. This means that the ‘source’ of the river has moved downstream where the water table is higher than the river bed.  It is expected that the river will recover over the next couple of months with seasonal rainfall.

The EA take an active interest in the source locations of our rivers as this information tells us about water resources across the area. The River Leach is checked in its middle reaches at Eastleach Martin but not at its source. In view of the Council’s, concerns the EA plan to track down the source of the Leach when surveying in the next few weeks.

The EA produce a monthly water situation report which provides information on rainfall, river flows and groundwater levels.  This information allows a comprehensive picture to be built up of the water resources situation across our area. You can find the latest report for September on the EA website http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/library/publications/104044.aspx

Please contact the EA incident hotline on 0800 807060 (Freephone, 24 hour service) if you have any urgent concerns.