The River Cary is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

The River Cary has its source at Park Pond in Castle Cary

Castle Cary

Castle Cary is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and south of Shepton Mallet.The town is situated on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett.-History:...

, and then flows southwest through Cary Moor to Babcary

Babcary

Babcary is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated east of Somerton and south west of Castle Cary in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 239. It lies close to the River Cary and the A37.-History:...

, where there is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Babcary Meadows

Babcary Meadows

Babcary Meadows is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Babcary in Somerset, notified in 1988.Babcary Meadows is one of the last remaining areas of traditionally managed unimproved neutral grassland in south Somerset and contains a rich variety of herbs.The site is positioned...

 and Cary Fitzpaine. It then flows northwest through Charlton Mackrell

Charlton Mackrell

Charlton Mackrell is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated three miles east of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 996....

 to the north of Somerton

Somerton

Somerton is a small town and civil parish in the South Somerset district of the English county of Somerset. It gave its name to the county of Somerset, was briefly, around the start of the 14th century, the county town, and around 900 AD was possibly the capital of Wessex...

. Here the river channel has been straightened and drains the surrounding wetland as it heads north to Kings Sedge Moor. The Cary passes through King's Sedgemoor

King's Sedgemoor

King's Sedgemoor is a piece of rich animal habit and farming land, that forms part of the Somerset Levels in South West England.The area of King's Sedgemoor fell within the Whitley Hundred,...

 continuing west across the moors south of the Polden Hills

Polden Hills

The Polden Hills in Somerset, England are a long, low ridge, extending for , and separated from the Mendip Hills, to which they are nearly parallel, by a marshy tract, known as the Somerset Levels...

. At Henley it joins the artificial channels of the Sutton Moor Rhyne and the King's Sedgemoor Drain

King's Sedgemoor Drain

King's Sedgemoor Drain is an artificial drainage channel which diverts the River Cary in Somerset, England along the southern flank of the Polden Hills, to discharge into the River Parrett at Dunball near Bridgwater. As the name suggests, the channel is used to help drain the peat moors of King's...

, both of which drain the wetland. Much of the water is now diverted into King's Sedgemoor Drain, which continues across the moors to join the estuary of the River Parrett

River Parrett

The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset...

 at Dunball

Dunball

Dunball is a small hamlet west of the village of Puriton and close to the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.Just north of Dunball is Down End which is the site of Down End Castle a motte-and-bailey castle, which has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.Located on the A38, adjacent to...

.

In 1995 a major pollution incident occurred when lindane

Lindane

Lindane, also known as gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane, , gammaxene, Gammallin and erroneously known as benzene hexachloride , is an organochlorine chemical variant of hexachlorocyclohexane that has been used both as an agricultural insecticide and as a pharmaceutical treatment for lice and...

 and mercury

Mercury (element)

Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...

 seed dressing were poured down a drain which leads into the river near Somerton.

The river was the site of a study to examine the use of strategically placed floodplain woodland to alleviate downstream flooding.