Heavy rains help River Waveney water levels rise to normal

The River Waveney had been in a drought in February after not recovering from last year's dry weather, a situation the trust who looks after it called "concerning".

Though river levels, for now, have returned to normal, Emily Winter, of the River Waveney Trust, warned "we are not out of it" yet.

Emily Winter, Catchment Project Officer at the River Waveney Trust (Image: Newsquest)

She said: "The rain and snow of the last week have allowed river levels to return to what we would expect for this time of year.

"But we are not out of it yet because reserve supplies in general are very low on the back of one of the driest Februarys on record."

Ms Winter says that with low supplies farmers will struggle to water their crops, and in the worst case scenario, people's taps in houses could run dry.

The River Waveney at Earsham (Image: Newsquest)

She said: "Low river flow and river levels will impact how much water can be extracted from the Waveney.

"A number of farms use river water to irrigate their crops, which determines whether they have a successful crop, for example, and this ultimately will affect food supply.

"Low rivers have recreational impacts as it prevents boats from travelling too.

"Our water reserves supply drinking water too."

Members of the survey team on the River Waveney (Image: River Waveney Trust)

Low water levels affect the oxygen levels of the water, impacting its aquatic plants and insects and larger creatures like fish.

"When the water is low oxygen levels which wildlife and plants depend on in the water will drop.

"Even if you don't care about wildlife being damaged, people will start to care when water doesn't come out of their tap," Ms Winter said.

Ms Winter hopes that more is done by "people of authority" to cherish our "precious" water supplies.

The River Waveney Trust is working to maintain the health of the iconic waterway and ensure water levels remain (Image: Andrew Mutimer)