Continuing her lecture series Britain in Trouble Waters at Gresham College on 7 April Carolyn looked at river channels over time, and the impact of events, especially man-made events, on the shape of river channels. Rivers, as we know, have a mind of their own and their response to urbanisation has been under-researched. Excluding issues of pollution, sedimentation, etc., urban drainage and rural development can expand river channels by a factor of four and have a huge potential to cause or facilitate damage. But, some lessons emerge about current thinking on restoration: people don’t necessarily like reversion to the ‘natural’ state; up-stream catchments need to be understood; improvements to one section of a river can be counterproductive, and river characteristics should be used and not fought. More floods and more droughts are likely and knowing how rivers cope is very important. Carolyn’s lectures are available online, this one at: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/britains-damaged-rivers
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