Drying washes

      So far February isn't living up to its reputation as a wet month, the month known in these parts as February fill-dyke has so far been more 'empty-dyke'.
      The Hundred Foot Washes are actually drying out already, two years ago they were around about eight feet of water with water lapping right up to the embankment on the other side of the tidal New Bedford River otherwise known as the Hundred Foot Drain and the Littleport to Welney road was completely impassable because of the volume of water in the washes.
      Much of this water isn't local, it is in addition to the local rain that falls in Cambridgeshire and West Norfolk. Most of it comes from the rain that falls in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire and is in the washes from the catchment areas of the Ouse, Cam and Nene although the Old Nene drains into the Middle Level drainage system.
      Simple really, well no, actually it's really quite complicated and it's interesting to read up on just how the system works.
      So, will the washes really fill up this winter? The rest of February is still to come and of course March could come in like a lion with some stormy and wet mad March weather.
      It's all in the lap of the gods, or the jet-stream, or simply what the weather decides to throw at us.