The Thames River Basin District, including the Medway catchment, covers an area of 6,229

square miles (16,130 km2).[17] The river basin includes both rural and heavily urbanised areas in
the east and northern parts while the western parts of the catchment are predominantly rural.
The area is among the driest in the United Kingdom. Water resources consist
of groundwater from aquifers and water taken from the Thames and its tributaries, much of it
stored in large bank-side reservoirs.[17]
The Thames itself provides two-thirds of London's drinking water while groundwater supplies
about 40 percent of public water supplies in the total catchment area. Groundwater is an
important water source, especially in the drier months, so maintaining its quality and quantity is
extremely important. Groundwater is vulnerable to surface pollution, especially in highly
urbanised areas.[17]
The non-tidal section[edit]
Main article: Locks and weirs on the Rive