During winter, the Parrett is prone to frequent flooding.
In common with the lower reaches of the River Severn, the Parrett exhibits a tidal phenomenon known as the bore. At certain combinations of the tides, the rising water is funneled up the river into a wave that travels rapidly upstream against the river current. The bore is a natural example of a self-reinforcing solitary wave or soliton.
During January through to May, the Parrett provides a source of eels (Anguilla anguilla) and the young elvers, caught by hand nettting - the only legal means of catching them.
The 2003 BBC Radio 4 play Glass Eels by Nell Leyshon was set on a river in the Levels, very probably the Parrett.