The Environment Agency has activated a major river transfer scheme as prolonged dry weather places pressure on water supplies, wildlife, agriculture and navigation across Lincolnshire.
The Trent Witham Ancholme River Transfer Scheme, owned and operated by the agency since 1974, moves water between the River Trent, River Witham and River Ancholme to help meet demand. The agency says the system can pump the equivalent of 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water a day if required.
The scheme supports more than 100 abstraction licences held by water companies, farmers, industrial users and other licensed abstractors who rely on water from the Witham and Ancholme. When levels in the Ancholme fall below those needed for navigation and abstraction, water is pumped from the Witham at Short Ferry through a 17.5km pipeline to the upper Ancholme.
If the Witham also runs low, it can be replenished with water from the Trent at Torksey via the Fossdyke Canal, which connects with the Witham at Lincoln. The scheme also includes Toft Newton Reservoir, a 16.5-hectare emergency reserve able to store up to 761,000 cubic metres of water.
The agency said it was continuously monitoring river flows and taking measures to balance water needs with environmental protection. Fish rescues have been carried out on the River Slea and at a Lincoln and District Angling Association stillwater, while further sites remain under close watch.
Support has also been given to fish rescue work on Billing Brook, a tributary of the lower River Nene. The agency said it was continuing to respond to environmental pressures including rising salinity levels on the Hob Hole and Lower Steeping River, and urged the public to report fish in distress to its incident hotline.