 However, these alterations to the landscape had unexpected consequences for the mill owners further downstream who relied on the steady flow of the River Kent to maintain their operations.The loss of bogs which had released water into the river, maintaining its steady flow, meant that the flow fluctuated widely, interrupting operation of the mills.The building of a reservoir to regulate the flow was a small part of a much bigger scheme to build a series of reservoirs in the parish of Kendal to regulate the River Sprint, otherwise known as the Sleddale Beck, the River Mint, known at the time as the Bannesdale Beck, and the River Kent.