(1662). in an artificial channel draining farmland near
Glastonbury The Moors and Levels, formed from a submerged and reclaimed landscape, consist of a coastal clay belt only slightly above mean sea level, with an inland peat belt at a lower level behind it. Early attempts to control the water levels were possibly made by the Romans (although records only date from the 13th century), but were not widespread. There was a port at
Bleadney on the River Axe in the 8th century which allowed goods to be brought to within of
Wells. In 1200, a wharf was constructed at
Rackley near
Axbridge. The Parrett was navigable up as far as
Langport in 1600, with 15 to 20 ton barges. The
Domesday Book recorded that drainage of the higher grounds was under way, although the moors at Wedmoor were said to be useless. In the Middle Ages, the monasteries of
Glastonbury,
Athelney, and
Muchelney were responsible for much of the drainage. In 1129, the Abbot of Glastonbury was recorded as inspecting enclosed land at
Lympsham. Efforts to control flooding on the
Parrett were recorded around the same date. In 1234, were reclaimed near
Westonzoyland and, from the accounts in the abbey's rent books, this had increased to by 1240.
Drains Flooding of adjacent moor land was partially addressed during the 13th century by the construction of a number of embankment walls to contain the Parrett. They included Southlake Wall, Burrow Wall, and Lake Wall. The River Tone was also diverted by the Abbot of Athelney and other land owners into a new embanked channel, joining the Parrett upstream from its original confluence. The main drainage outlets flowing through the Moors and Levels are the rivers
Axe,
Brue,
Huntspill,
Parrett,
Tone, and
Yeo, together with the
King's Sedgemoor Drain, an artificial channel into which the
River Cary now runs. Previously, the Cary ran into the Tone while the Brue ran through
Meare Pool (now drained) and the Panborough Gap, and then into the Axe. Another accomplishment in the Middle Ages was the construction of the tidal Pillrow Cut, joining the Brue and Axe. In 1500, there was said to be of floodable land of which only had been reclaimed. In 1597, of land were recovered near the Parrett estuary; a few years later, near Pawlett were recovered by means of embankments; and three further reclamations, totalling , had been undertaken downstream of Bridgwater by 1660. In the early 17th century, during the time of
King James I, abortive plans were made to drain and enclose much of
Sedgemoor, which the local Lords supported but opposed by the Commoners who would have lost grazing rights. In 1632,
Charles I sold the Crown's interest in the scheme, and it was taken over by a consortium that included Sir
Cornelius Vermuyden, a
Dutch drainage engineer. However, the work was delayed by the
English Civil War and later defeated in parliament after local opposition. and wrote in his
Agriculture of the County of Somerset that had been enclosed in the last 20 years in
Wedmore and
Meare, at Nyland, at Blackford, at
Mark, in
Shapwick, and at
Westhay. At
Westhay Moor in the early 19th century, it was shown how peat bogs could be successfully drained and top-dressed with silt deposited via flooding, creating a very rich soil. The character of the soil was also changed by the spreading of clay and silt from the digging of King's Sedgemoor Drain.
Pumps Little attempt was made during the 17th and 18th centuries to pump water, possibly because the coal-driven
Newcomen steam engines would have been uneconomical. It is unclear why
windmills were not employed, as they were on
the Fens of
East Anglia, but only two examples have been recorded on the Levels: one at
Bleadon at the mouth of the River Axe, where a sea wall had been built, and the other at Common Moor north of Glastonbury, which was being drained following a private act of Parliament in 1721, the
Glastonbury Inclosure Act 1721 (
8 Geo. 1. c.
16 ). The human-made
Huntspill River was constructed during
World War II with sluices at both ends to provide a guaranteed daily supply of of "process water". It was intended that in the summer, when water supply was lower, it would serve as a reservoir with water pumped from the moors; and in winter serve as a drainage channel, via gravity drainage.
Geotechnical problems prevented it from being dug as deep as originally intended and so gravity-drainage of the moors was not possible: thus, water is pumped up into the river throughout the year. The Levels and Moors are now artificially drained by a network of rhynes which are pumped up into "drains". Water levels are managed by the Levels
internal drainage boards (IDBs); the Levels are not as intensively drained or farmed as the
East Anglian
fens, historically a similar area of low marsh. They are still liable to widespread fresh water flooding in winter. One of the approaches to reducing the risk of flooding within the catchment area of the Parrett is the planting of new woodlands. Controversy about the management of the drainage and flood protection has previously involved the activities of IDBs. However, IDBs have been actively participating with the Parrett Catchment Partnership, a partnership of 30 organisations that aims to create a consensus on how water is to be managed, in particular, looking at new ways to achieve sustainable benefits for all local stakeholders. During 2009 and 2010, work was undertaken to upgrade sluice gates, watercourses, and culverts to enable seasonal flooding of
Southlake Moor during the winter diverting water from the
Sowy River onto the moor. It has the capacity to hold 1.2 million cubic metres as part of a scheme by the Parrett Internal Drainage Board to restore ten floodplains in Somerset. In spring, the water is drained away to enable the land to be used as pasture during the summer. The scheme is also used to encourage water birds.
Sea defences The Levels were frequently flooded by the sea during high tides, a problem that was not resolved until the
sea defences were enhanced in the early 20th century. In addition, the problems of high fresh water floods are aggravated by the unrestricted entry of the tide along the
Parrett, which is the only river in the Levels and Moors that does not have a
clyse on it. Discussions on whether a clyse is needed for the Parrett and whether it should be sited at Bridgwater or nearer the mouth of the river date back to 1939, at the start of World War II, and have not been resolved. With 400 properties affected in
Burnham-on-Sea, after emergency repairs, Wessex Water Authority began planning new sea defences. Construction work started in 1983 on a £7M scheme, creating what was then Britain's biggest
wave return wall. As part of the published flood risk assessments for both these sub-areas, it is recognised that: at a future date a tidal clyse may be needed on the Parrett; this causes a funding dilemma; and,
geomorphology studies of the Parrett and the
Tone are needed to help address many of the uncertainties associated with a tidal exclusion project. Since 1990, the drainage boards have been charged with watching the
rhynes and keeping them clear, under the overall responsibility of the Environment Agency. With rising sea levels, the work required to maintain the sea defences is likely to become more expensive, and it has been proposed that two inland seas be created. Other studies have recommended maintaining the current defences for five years while undertaking further studies of available options. Although the Environment Agency have made plans for the regular winter flooding, still in recent years this has resulted in a number of villages — including
Muchelney and
Westonzoyland — being cut off. In November 2012, during the
2012 Great Britain and Ireland floods, after six days
Somerset County Council-funded
BARB rescue boats reached Muchelney on 29 November, rescuing nearly 100 people. Rescue boats were again required during the rain and storms from
Cyclone Dirk in the turn of the year 2014, and subsequently during the
Winter flooding of 2013–14 on the Somerset Levels. On 24 January 2014, in light of the continued flooded extent of the Somerset Moors and forecast new rainfall as part of the
Winter storms of 2013–14 in the United Kingdom, both Somerset County Council and Sedgemoor District Council declared a
major incident. the village of
Thorney had been abandoned and Muchelney had been cut off by flood waters for almost a month.
Environment Minister Owen Paterson visited the area on 27 January 2014, and after meeting local MPs, the Environment Agency and various community representatives the night before in Taunton, promised at a media-only press conference at
North Moor pumping station that if a local water management plan could be developed over the next six weeks, he would approve it. Such plan would likely include the dredging of the rivers Tone and Parrett, and possibly a later sluice near Bridgwater. There have been public protests about the river Parrett not being
dredged in recent years. In mid-February 2014 the Environment Agency began installing giant pumps imported from the
Netherlands to alleviate the continuing flooding. ==Human habitation==