AbstractThe River Severn is the longest of Britain's regulated rivers: this chapter describes the geography of the river's catchment area, from its source in central Wales to the Bristol Channel where it flows into the sea. It then considers the historical development of the Severn as a water resource, culminating in the construction of Llyn Clywedog and more recently the Shropshire Groundwater Scheme to augment low river flows and support greatly increased abstractions. Plans for even more substantial development of the resource system appropriate to the rapid demand growth of the 1960s and early 1970s are discussed. Practical experience in regulating flows in the river gained during the drought of 1976 is described and used to explain recent developments in the practice and monitoring of river regulation.