River Kennet’s new high point at Marlborough

UPDATE: At 11.15 on New Year’s Day, the River Kennet’s recorded level at Marlborough was 0.59 metres. That is getting very close to the river’s recent high point at this measuring station of .69 metres on 17 March 2008 when flooding did occur.

The level of the River Kennet at Marlborough was recorded by the Environment Agency as 0.48 metres at 12.15 pm on Christmas Day. 

While the river was flowing fast and looking very full, there was no sign of flooding (as at noon) – except into adjacent water meadows.

With the heavy rain of the past week the level has hovered around 0.42 metres.  During the ‘drought’ earlier in the year the level was hovering around 0.04 metres – though the ‘level’ readings are not the same as the river’s depth at various points as it passes through Marlborough.

The typical river level range at the Marlborough measuring point is between 0.04 metres and 0.37 metres. But even at 0.42 metres the level reaches into the range at which the Environment Agency says there could be flooding.

The Kennet’s highest level recorded at Marlborough is 1.00 metre and its level reached 0.69 metres on 17 March 2008 – when flooding did occur.  The new flood defences will certainly cope well with 0.48 metres.

And though there have been loud complaints about Thames Water extracting water from the Kennet, with this sort of rainfall and at Christmas Day’s level, the more water that is extracted, the less is it likely the river will flood in our area.

You can check the Environment Agency’s recorded levels for the River Kennet at Marlborough on their website.