They have launched fish rescue operations in the River Teme after low water levels made conditions uninhabitable.
The agency is diverting water from the Shropshire Groundwater Scheme, which uses water from an underground sandstone aquifer in north Shropshire, to help stabilise the nearby River Severn.
“The River Severn may look like it has healthy summer flows, but this is all down to the work we are doing behind the scene,” said Matthew Lawrence, Manager for the Environment Agency in the West Midlands.
“We are working hard to maintain river levels for people and wildlife.
“We will continue to monitor the conditions closely and will not hesitate to use our regulatory powers to mitigate the impacts of dry weather on the environment, water supplies and other sectors.”
Low river levels in south Shropshire have put wildlife at risk, with fish rescue operations carried out on the Teme for fish unable to survive in the shallows.
The nearby River Severn, one of the UK’s most important rivers, supplies drinking water to around six million people and supports internationally important wildlife and habitats.
The Shropshire Groundwater Scheme is currently pumping around 200 million litres per day into the Severn, equivalent to 80 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
This system uses a 53km network of underground pipelines to deliver groundwater from north Shropshire to the river.
At full capacity, up to 240 million litres can be supplied each day.
The scheme is used alongside two reservoirs in Wales to help maintain minimum flow levels at Bewdley in Worcestershire, where the Environment Agency aims to keep river flow above 850 million litres daily (measured as a five-day average).
The agency is also working with farmers, growers, and water companies to promote sustainable water use.
This includes temporary restrictions on water abstraction and advice on improving access to water during dry periods.
The Environment Agency ensures that water companies have robust drought plans in place and works closely with them to ensure that necessary drought measures are implemented.
It is also a proud supporter of the Water Efficiency Campaign which launched this week: Let’s Save Water | Water Efficiency Campaign for England & Wales.
The Environment Agency has urged the public to report fish in distress by calling its incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
