Prolonged dry weather has forced the Environment Agency to rely on the Shropshire Groundwater Scheme to sustain flows in the River Severn and protect wildlife and water supplies downstream.
How much water is being added
Engineers are currently extracting water from the sandstone aquifer beneath North Shropshire and sending it through a 53-kilometre pipeline network into the Severn. Around 200 million litres a day are being pumped at present — the equivalent of roughly 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools every 24 hours — and the system can provide up to 240 million litres a day when running at full capacity.
| Measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Current pumping | 200 million litres/day |
| Maximum capacity | 240 million litres/day |
| Pipeline length | 53 km |
Why the scheme matters locally
Officials say the top-up is crucial not only to keep the Severn looking like a healthy river through the summer but to safeguard supplies for people further downstream and to maintain habitats for fish and other river life. In south Shropshire the dry spell has already had immediate consequences: the Environment Agency carried out emergency fish rescue operations on the River Teme after water levels fell too low.
What the Environment Agency is asking of residents
- Use water wisely at home and on farms to reduce pressure on supplies.
- Report any fish seen in distress to the Agency’s incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60.
- Be aware that artificial top-ups are in place and that ongoing monitoring will determine further action.
“The River Severn may look like it has healthy summer flows, but this is all down to the work we are doing behind the scenes,”
Matthew Lawrence, the Environment Agency manager for the West Midlands, emphasised that the visible flow is currently being maintained by these interventions and that the Agency will continue to use regulatory powers where needed to reduce the impacts of dry conditions.
For Shropshire communities the scheme underlines how vulnerable local waterways are to extended dry spells and how much is involved in preserving river ecosystems and water security for millions downstream. While the pipeline is doing heavy lifting now, the Agency has reiterated the importance of everyone — households, businesses and farmers — playing their part in conserving water during the hot, dry months.
Officials will continue to monitor river levels closely and stand ready to increase or reduce pumping according to conditions. In the meantime, the emergency fish rescues on the Teme are a stark reminder that low flows have immediate, visible effects on wildlife and local landscapes.
