Current Issues

Abstraction

Our essential life-giver, water, is under increasing pressure from proposed housing developments, uneconomic and often wasted supply and increasingly erratic climatic changes. Whether you believe that water privatisation should never have happened or that current charges are already too high, the fact remains that if abstraction is allowed to continue unabated, the continued health and diversity of our environment is severely at risk. At Branch level, we are especially concerned about the demands being placed on the River Ouse and the effects on the rich aquatic life which it is struggling to support, including sea trout, indigenous brown trout, lamprey and bullheads. Our National Officers continue to lobby Government on this very important topic whilst at local level the Branch, via our Water Resources Officer, represents our views via the Environment Agency's Catchment Area Management Strategy (CAMS). Recent correspondence in this issue, at both National and Branch level can be seen via the Home and National News links above.

Pollution

Pollution, both accidental and deliberate, continues to affect our water resources and sadly, it seems that planning permission for discharge into our rivers is all too easy to obtain as long as the very minimum of precautionary measures are proposed. The paradox is that on occasion, the polluted waters are in danger of being abstracted for domestic supply! The Branch endeavours to make its concerns known to those in authority. Again, recent correspondence on the issue can be found via the Home link - "Latest News".

Landfill

The Branch has been concerned about two landfill proposals which could have adversely effected the local river systems. The first was an application for landfill at the Freshfield Lane brickworks. Although this is outside the Branch geographical boundaries, landfill at that site could have had serious repercussions for the River Ouse, since both the Cockhaise and Danehill Brooks, which feed the Ouse, are adjacent to the sight. The possibility of dangerous chemicals leeching into the Ouse being very real.

The second proposal was for a landfill site at the old Chailey brickworks, allegedly to receive hazardous materials from all over the country. Again, leeching onto the Bevern Stream (one of the Ouse's main spawning streams for sea trout) was of great concern.

For the time being, it appears that both schemes have been shelved, following representations from residents, environmental lobbyists and ourselves. However, we cannot be complacent and assume that proposals such as these will simply go away. We will continue to voice our concerns, whenever such schemes are a potential threat to the health of our river systems. Click on Home to link to read the historical correspondence.

Navigation

Whilst not wishing to appear as killjoys, the Branch has also expressed its concern about proposals to reintroduce navigation of the Ouse, for leisure purposes. Although historically, the Ouse provided an important transport artery, that era of industrial activity has gone. With its disappearance, optimism has grown that the Ouse can (and should) recover its status as one of England's prime sea trout rivers. Reintroduction of navigation would be detrimental to the ecology of the river and only add to the already huge pressures being placed upon it. To see the recent EA Position Statement on the proposals, click here.