Reserve is drying up

The old watercress bed between the canal and the playing fields is normally fed by an artesian well at the northern end. This appeared to dry up at the end of February and despite some rain since there is still no flow of water through the watercress bed. Consequenlty the bed is dry and the various downstream ponds are drying up. And there’s no flow into the river Gade as normal, just before the rustic bridge. This is probably because of a low water table and reflects the general ‘drought’ conditions in the area. It’s bad news for the amphibians that like that part of the park.