 By 1844 there were 15 mills on the Kent, three on the Sprint and five on the Mint, processing wool, gunpowder, bobbins, logwood, dyewood, paper, marble and iron.Water power was important because there were no sources of coal nearby.A total of ten mill owners and the mayor of Kendal formed a provisional committee, which resolved to build reservoirs in Kentmere and elsewhere, to maintain flows on the rivers.