Its lower reaches from the hamlet of Odder near Saxilby into the city of Lincoln were canalised, possibly as early as Roman times, as part of the Foss Dyke.

In order the help protect the city of Lincoln from flooding, a sluice has been built across the channel at the Till Washlands site.

[3] Its course heads towards the south, passing under a bridge near Heapham Windmill,[4] a grade II listed three-storey tower mill dating from around 1878,[5] and then flowing to the west of the village.

Upton Sewage Treatment Works is sited on the west bank, and the river passes under Glentworth Road, to the east of Kexby.

[6] The channel flows in a south-easterly direction, and there is an off-line marina[clarification needed] at Burton Waters, built in connection with a housing development.

The river is enclosed by earth embankments on both sides of the channel, to increase its capacity and to prevent flood water from inundating the surrounding land.

[8] The banks of the Till were extended during the 20th century, although below Tillbridge most were in place by 1886, when the first Ordnance Survey maps of the area were published.

[9] Water from land to the south of the Till drained into the Sincil Dyke through a tunnel under the River Witham.

In addition, they were to build a catchwater drain at a higher level, to intercept run-off from the high grounds, which empties into the Foss Dyke at Bishop Bridge.

[11] The washlands were tested for the first time in 2000, when there was some local flooding of rural areas, and the storage of water prevented significant damage occurring in Lincoln.

[12] A study carried out in 2010 noted that the Catchment Flood Management Plan for the Lincoln area recommends that the capacity of the washlands should be increased, to cope with the possible effects of climate change.

There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates, angiosperms and fish.

Like most rivers in the UK, the chemical status changed from good to fail in 2019, due to the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and mercury compounds, none of which had previously been included in the assessment.

[20] In 2011, around 2.5 miles (4 km) of the Till near Saxilby were affected by Azolla, a fast-growing aquatic fern originally imported to Britain from America in the 1840s for use in ornamental ponds.

In order to combat it, the Environment Agency released 8,000 Azolla weevils (stenopelmus rufinasus) into the affected area.