40 An Angler's Paradise. 
span. Under these arches flows the surplus water when the dam 
is full, and at such times it makes a miniature Niagara, and adds 
a charm to the valley. The bottom of the outer face of the dam 
is built in a curve, so that the water strikes it at an angle, and 
does no harm. 
One of the most important features of the dam, from an 
angler’s point of view, is the means adopted by which daily 
compensation water is provided for the benefit of the river below. 
This water is discharged by a pipe eighteen inches in diameter, 
and there is another pipe thirty inches in diameter for discharging 
monthly compensation water. This is the water which the Liver- 
pool Corporation has to turn into the river Verniew, for the 
satisfaction of riparian owners and the Severn Navigation Board, 
as compensation for impounding the head waters of the river. 
More than this: the Corporation also has to deliver to the 
satisfaction of the Severn Fishery Board, twelve hundred million 
gallons of water annually, whenever it may be desired, in the form 
of freshets, each freshet to consist of forty million gallons. 
This is a condition that is imposed by Act of Parliament, and 
must be a great boon to the inhabitants of the valley. Before 
this reservoir was constructed, floods used to sweep down the vale, 
carrying away crops, mill weirs, etc., and doing sometimes 
immense damage to the land and property owners and their 
tenants, whereas now a very large proportion of this flood-water 
is retained, and allowed to flow off gradually. The great 
advantage of this is apparent, as well as compensation water 
during dry weather. There is one very important point which has 
been overlooked in making the arrangements for the supply of 
this compensation water. It is drawn from far too low a level. 
Had a competent fish culturist been consulted, such an arrange- 
ment would never for a moment have been considered. The 
water drawn from such a point is known to be so far unsuitable, 
that such an oversight would have been guarded against, and 
proper measures taken for drawing it from the right point. 
Many of our streams could be dealt with in this way with 
very great advantage. A reservoir, or a series of them, in many 
situations, would be a good investment if stocked with trout, whilst 
the compensation water, in times of drought, would be an untold 
