River Huntspill
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The River Huntspill (or Huntspill River) is an artificial river, in the Somerset Levels, in the Sedgemoor district of the United Kingdom.
The river was excavated as a five mile long straight channel using a dragline during the early years of World War II; it was constructed as a priority war work [1]. Its main function was to provide an all year-round guaranteed supply of 4.5 million Imperial gallons per day of process water for ROF Bridgwater, the Royal Ordnance Factory near Puriton [1]. It was also intended to help drain parts of the lower Brue Valley. It was connected to the South Drain at Gold Corner. It implemented parts of a drainage plan for the Somerset Levels first drawn up in 1853 but not implemented until World War II [1].
The Huntspill River has retention sluices at both ends. In winter flood water can be removed by gravity drainage; and in summer it can be topped up by pumping water from the moors [1].
The Huntspill River is a National Nature Reserve [1], it discharges into the River Parrett just south of Highbridge. The Parrett flows into Bridgwater Bay, which also an important National Nature Reserve [2], on the edge of the Bristol Channel.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Williams, Michael. [1970]. The Draining of the Somerset Levels. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-07486-X..
Link to Multimap, showing the mouth of the River Huntspill [3]
