Water Levels of Sedge Fen

Sedge Fen makes up part of the last remaining fragments of undrained fenland, of which only 1% remains, making it a unique haven and one of the last refuges for a host of fenland species dependent on the peatland soils. It is crucial for the peat of Sedge Fen to remain wet. A metal windpump pumps water from the nearby lodes onto Sedge Fen from November to March throughout the winter, which is the maximum duration of time it is permitted to abstract water onto the fen in this way. Throughout the summer, Sedge Fen gets drier and the water levels drop, depending on the weather, until it can be re-plenished though the winter again. The water levels are carefully monitored from a network of dipwells. You can study the water level data from the last ten years and 'listen' to how the levels change from a dipwell on Sedge Fen here.

Learn more about the ambitious peatland restoration work happening at Wicken Fen here.