Flooding

I have been given a commission by Anthony Edwards to photograph his beautiful Salterton fishery on the Avon. The idea is to capture atmospheric images over the seasons. The first trip this January coincided with the highest water levels he has seen in 40 years. By the time I was able to get on to the fishery the levels had dropped significantly but they still prevented me from venturing on much of the property. Thank goodness for the water meadows and flood plains which, as is their purpose, absorb much of these exceptional rainfalls and prevent flooding of the towns and villages. Sadly, other areas of the country have dredged their river valleys or, by building perched channels, have separated the flows from the flood plains. Urban development has done likewise and taken away the natural flood defences.
On the Avon the water was gushing over the hatches.  The good news is that the aquifers are replenished, as the chalk streams depend on them for their constant flows over the summer months. 
Wandering along the river bank where I could, there were great opportunities to get images of Snowdrops with the Avon in the background - more of that in another post.