What is a watercourse?
A watercourse is any channel through which water flows. It may range from a ditch or stream with a constant flow, to a depression which carries water infrequently.
A watercourse does not need to carry water all the time to qualify as one. Even if there is no direct flow, it may still be considered a watercourse, based on its form and function.
Watercourse types
Main river
Usually larger rivers and streams (such as the River Great Ouse, River Cam, or Alconbury Brook).
Ordinary watercourse
Ordinary watercourses include rivers, drains, streams, ditches, dykes, cuts, sluices, culverts, sewers (other than public sewers), and passages, through which water flows, that are not part of main rivers.
Awarded watercourse
Under the terms of various historic Enclosure Acts (mostly in the 19th Century), various bodies, including district councils inherited responsibility for the maintenance of some watercourses. These are awarded watercourses.
This responsibility places a legal duty on the relevant bodies to undertake specified maintenance work.
A culvert tunnelHow to check a watercourse type
You can use our online interactive map to identify the type of watercourse in your area. The map highlights their locations and indicates who is typically responsible for upkeep.
The map is for information purposes only - the presence of a watercourse on the map does not mean that maintenance will automatically take place.
Map disclaimer
We have done our best to make sure the data is accurate, but there may still be errors while we continue updating the information, particularly for awarded watercourses.
Some features may be shown in a simplified way and might not match their exact location. In some cases, one symbol on the map may stand for several features in the same place.
If you identify a watercourse that is not show on the map or believe there may be a mapping error please email flood.andwater@cambridgeshire.gov.uk, quoting 'Watercourse Map' in the subject line.
If you identify a blockage to a watercourse that could increase the risk of flooding, please let us know by contacting flood.andwater@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Where a blockage is on a main river ONLY, please report this to the Environment Agency on their Incident Hotline 0800 80 70 60.
