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The reserve is on two tributaries of the River Great Ouse, the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River (also known as Hundred Foot Drain). The rivers were built by the 4th Earl of Bedford to facilitate drainage of the Great Ouse between Earith and Downham MarketDownham Market also known simply as Downham is a town in Norfolk, England, with a population of around 7,500 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse. Notable buildings in the town include its mediaeval parish church and Victorian clock tower, constructed, and the " washesThe Ouse Washes are an area in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, England. They cover the area between two tributaries of the River Great Ouse: the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River (also known as the Hundred Foot Drain). In 1630, Charles I of England" (the area between the two rivers) are completely flooded for an average of 22 days per year, necessitating a 30 mile detour for local residents. With the advent of global warming, the washed now experience summer flooding also, and many birds are prevented from breeding in the area.

The area is also the site of RSPB Ouse WashesRSPB Ouse Washes is a nature reserve in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, England, managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds at Welches Dam. The Ouse Washes are the area between two tributaries of the River Great Ouse: the Old Bedford River and t; it is a Ramsar site, a Special Protection AreaA Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Commission Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC). Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly (SPA) and a Special Area of ConservationA Special Area of Conservation (SAC is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. SACs complement Special Protection Areas and toget (SAC), as well as the Ouse Washes SSSI - a Site of Special Scientific InterestA Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic 'building block' of nature conservation legislation, and most other legal nature/geological conservation desig.