SUMMER 2013 29

Action for the River Kennet River talk A PARTNERSHIP OF PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THE KENNET

ARK Spring River An Invisible Walk On Sunday 28 April over 50 walkers turned up to enjoy our annual spring event, which this Killer Strikes year took place along the banks As the Kennet flows treatment works. See page 4 for more of the Kennet from Ramsbury to on this shocking story. Littlecote. through midsummer meadows it’s hard to On a more positive note, ARK’s These river walks are always small army of volunteers has been popular as they include stretches of the river through private believe what’s happened out and about cutting back the grounds and are only accessible undergrowth, repairing the river beneath the surface. by kind permission of the owners. banks and improving the waterside habitat all the way from Marlborough On 1 July our riverfly monitors In addition to the walk itself, downstream to Kintbury. They have discovered a major pollution incident there was a fundraising cake sale. also been busily recording the animal that has decimated the insect and The delicious cakes were made and plant populations of the river freshwater shrimp population of by Harry Forbes, and proved very the Kennet between Marlborough and its surrounding meadowland, popular as walkers reached the and Hungerford. The source and as well as continuing to spread end of their walk. long-term impacts of the disaster are the word about the magic of the still being investigated, it involved Kennet and the importance of water a discharge of a powerful pesticide conservation in local schools and through the Marlborough sewage around the wider community.

Above: ARK’s very own caddis-themed cup cakes, courtesy of Harry Forbes our River Fly Co-ordinator

Left: ARK volunteers visit Kintbury every month to work on a carrier stream, one of the side channels that run alongside the main river. Action for River Kennet Newsletter 29 SUMMER 2013 PAGE 2

News from the Director As belated spring turns to high summer, ARK has been busy on a host of fronts – from campaigning for chalk streams to organising our own practical conservation work.

after them. By joining together with Kennet (see page 4). This is on top of other Trusts we can speak with a the problems Thames Water have been louder voice. The next stage is to take experiencing over the winter at their the Charter to parliament to get the sewage pumping stations (see page 7). backing of MPs. Meanwhile, Thames Water has State of nature report published the first draft of their 25 year management plan for comments. John The launch of the Chalk Stream Lawson is reviewing their proposals in Charter coincided with the detail to ensure that these plans do not publication of State of Nature – a damage the Kennet or its tributaries. report by 25 of the UK’s leading wildlife organisations that contained Our wonderful the stark warning that far more supporters species are declining than increasing, including many of our most treasured May also saw the 100th volunteer Celebrating the launch of the Chalk Streams animals and plants. It’s a reminder joining ARK. Our riverfly monitoring Charter on the river Beale in Hertfordshire. of the importance of ARK’s projects, scheme now has over 40 sites, which are helping to reverse the including some on the Kennet Chalk Stream Charter decline of threatened species living tributaries, and the volunteers in and alongside our beautiful River continue to be busy on practical tasks, Kennet including water vole, wild In May, I joined organisations from with a full timetable of work the whole trout and traditional meadow flowers. across England at the River Beane way through the summer. in Hertfordshire for the launch of the Chalk Stream Charter. The River Monitoring pollution Over the Summer, ARK will be out Beane, like the Kennet, has suffered and about at summer fayres, fetes from over-abstraction for years, and On the river we continue to be as and open gardens, talking about the even after the wet winter is still barely active as ever, not least keeping river, recruiting new members and a trickle by the abstraction point in its an eye on the sewage overflows at distributing free water saving devices upper reaches. Marlborough Sewage Treatment as part of our ‘Care for the Kennet’ Works. As well as the latest incident campaign. I hope I might see some The Charter calls for a range of involving the release of pesticide of you there. measures to protect chalk streams, into the river, we are very concerned recognising their status as a globally that the storm overflow is operating Charlotte Hitchmough significant resource and calling on more frequently than it should, government to play its part in looking releasing untreated sewage into the Action for River Kennet Newsletter 29 SUMMER 2013 PAGE 3

Counting the wildlife

James Shipman from Berks and South Bucks Bat Group has visited to check our bat boxes and advise on improvements we can carry out to help the bats already using Stonebridge. He will be back on Saturday 20 September to lead a very interesting bat talk and walk (see back page for further details).

Fortnightly reptile and amphibian surveying has not only shown we still have grass snakes and toads, but the mats are being used by water shrews. The largest British shrew, they are nocturnal and feed on cased caddisfly and mayfly larvae. Regular sightings of water vole very close to the boardwalk seating area News from have also been exciting. Birds seen recently include nuthatch, treecreeper, bullfinch, kestrel, common whitethroat and barn Stonebridge owl. The two Black Poplar saplings planted by the river last autumn are May saw the start of work to implement the management flourishing, the river is flowing well and ARK volunteers are continuing plans for the Stonebridge Wild River Reserve with restoration work in and by the river. A final piece of good news Land management Moth nights is that riverfly monitoring at the reserve has this year yielded the The old barred wire fence has been ARK moth-trapping nights, which highest score of any ARK site since replaced and the meadow is now are open to the public and happen recording began. split into four distinct areas. Two every month (weather permitting) are for conservation grazing, while until November, have already Anna Forbes another at the far end is to be left recorded six new species this as scrub for the benefit of a variety year, including the aptly named of wildlife, particularly warblers. The Spectacle moth. fourth will eventually incorporate a wildlife pond and a separate reed bed to prevent the road-surface run- off polluting the river. Water Saving

Four-legged friends Our Care for the Kennet campaign, which we are running in partnership with Thames Water, has been taking the water saving Two Belted Galloway cows, Harriet message to local villages. Assessors from Climate Energy and her calf Campanula, arrived to offered free water-saving retro fits in Aldbourne, Chilton Foliat, start grazing on the dominant plants Ramsbury, Lockeridge and the Kennetts. Early figures suggest that and have already proved popular they have completed over 170 retrofits over just a few short weeks. with visitors to the site. Over time more flowers and grasses should If you missed us and would like to book a water saving makeover it start to be found, improving the is not too late! Simply call 0800 3586665 quoting ‘kennet’. biodiversity. Action for River Kennet Newsletter 29 SUMMER 2013 PAGE 4

Pollution Disaster Strikes the Kennet Millions of river creatures are dead – and ARK is working to find out why

On Monday 1 July ARK’s volunteer riverfly monitors were taking routine samples to the immediate south of the Elcot Lane sewage treatment works in Marlborough. To their horror they discovered that all the invertebrates in their collecting nets were dead.

After taking a second sample to verify the results an urgent call was put through to the Environment Agency who sent their own team out, and Grey cloudy water– the cloudy outflow Crystal clear – the river as it should look on the following day confirmed that a significant pollution incident had Environment Agency are vigorously the amount of ground water feeding occurred. In subsequent days ARK’s investigating its original source. into the sewers because of last worst fears were realised. Although winter’s heavy rainfall. As a result, fish and birds were largely unharmed, In coming weeks ARK will be pressing they had been diverting sewage into the shrimp and insect population hard for reassurance from the their storm water system for months, on which they depend for their food Environment Agency (EA) that the meaning that untreated sewage has has been totally devastated Between strongest action will be taken against overflowed into the river on a regular Marlborough and Hungerford. any breach of regulations. We will basis. More recently the overloading Thankfully, the river upstream of Elcot also working with the EA, Natural of their storm tanks and breakdowns was unaffected. England, the Riverfly Partnership and elsewhere in the local network have other experts to assess the long-term required them to use tankers to By the end of the week the pollutant damage to the river’s ecology and transport effluent into and out of has been identified as chlorpyrifos, a the steps that we and others should sewage treatment works. pesticide used on farms at this time be taking to restore it to its former of year but also present in some health. Thames Water can’t confirm the ant killers and sometimes used to precise amount of pollution manage grassland for golf courses or This is only the most recent of discharged from the works in equestrian use. It has been confirmed a disturbing series of incidents recent months but accept that it is that the chemical definitely entered involving the sewage treatment almost certainly above the officially the river via the sewage treatment works. In April John Hounslow, the permitted level. The company has works. Thames Water and the river keeper at Mildenhall, noticed recently constructed an additional that the river had turned cloudy. storm tank to help deal with the peak “This is a disaster for the Turning detective he scrambled flows, although these have not yet Kennet and its wildlife. It is through the undergrowth by the been commissioned. ARK will not let vital that we find out how it Marlborough sewage treatment up on its demands for the capacity happened, and how it can be works. To his alarm he found that the of the sewage works to be increased prevented from ever happening storm-water outflow was pouring out to the level needed to meet the again. It has shown the value cloudy grey water despite it having demands of a constantly growing of our riverfly monitoring team, been a relatively dry few weeks. population. who first detected it and acted so promptly to report it” – Thames Water employees explained Geoffrey Findlay, Martin Gibson that the works could not cope with ARK Chairman Action for River Kennet Newsletter 29 SUMMER 2013 PAGE 5

Our Wonderful Ramsbury Helpers ARK has an ever-growing band of active volunteers Triangle who help us in all sorts of If you go down to the Ramsbury Triangle you’re sure of a ways – from monitoring big surprise. There are no teddy bears but a rather tired riverfly and surveying bit of riverbank that has been brought back to life. pollution incidents to holding tins at our street In 2010 ARK and the parish council for animals to live. Branches trimmed collections or joining our of Ramsbury and Axford bought to prevent then obstructing the river weekly river restoration a triangle of land, bounded on flow are still long enough to give two sides by the River Kennet and kingfishers a perch. The aim is to and maintenance work. crossed by two bridges. It lies beside work with nature rather than have a a popular village path but walkers municipal park. In the past twelve months more than looking downstream saw only a a hundred enthusiastic volunteers rather overgrown area that had This is an area for everyone to enjoy, have freely given their time to ARK. suffered with the winter floods. so when you are on your walk down The regular Wednesday afternoon Mill Lane come and see what the team ranges from teenage students Anna Forbes, the ARK volunteer co- team have been up to. And if you through to retirees, with every other ordinator, has masterminded a team would like help here or on one of age in between. of volunteers to remove the wayward ARK’s many other projects, why not trees from the river. The eroded banks get in touch with Anna Forbes? She Some practical tasks are held on have been repaired with carefully has an amazing supply of saws, Friday and Saturday afternoons too. angled bundles of faggots and there hammers, waders and much more, so If you would like to volunteer is now a brisk bubbling flow either just bring yourself, however young, please contact Anna on 01672 side of the triangle. old or fit you are! 511028 or email [email protected] Some of the trees have been cut back Rodney Owen-Jones to let in more light but still leaving Anna Forbes some piles of woody debris as places Action for River Kennet Newsletter 29 SUMMER 2013 PAGE 6

Himalayan Balsam

Not everything that lives and grows around the River Kennet and its tributaries is as ‘natural’ as one might imagine.

Over the next few months we will be turning our attention to an unwelcomed intruder – the pink- flowered Himalayan Balsam, which once it gets a hold can take over whole riverbanks – in Wales it even out-competes bracken!

A newly hatched mayfly The species was originally imported by the Victorians as an affordable alternative to orchids. Growing up to two metres tall with pink and purple ARK in the flowers, it thrives in damp conditions. It also spreads very rapidly – not only can report it to ARK or use the plant can each plant can produce 2,500 tracker app at: Classroom seeds but its explosive pods can http://planttracker.naturelocator.org throw them more than 6 metres from If you’d like to join our volunteer We have been working the parent. team, just contact Anna Forbes on 01672 511028 or email closely with primary In June, our volunteer team have [email protected] schools this term. tackled infested stretches of riverbanks in Hungerford. If you see Charlotte Hitchmough Charlotte Hitchmough and Helen Himalayan Balsam by the river you Kelly had a fantastic trip to the riverbank at Preshute with Year 1. The weather was kind to us and the children were so enthusiastic to Helping the Water Crowfoot discover all the different types of tiny life forms in the river. Stream water crowfoot, or Ranunculus is still just in Nearly 200 infants at Hungerford flower on the chalk stream sections of the Kennet and its Primary School took part in a water- saving assembly. To build on the bournes. topic of water and river life, Helen returned to run two classroom You can see its lovely white flowers sessions for Year 2 students. Assisted floating above the river surface with by Rodney Owen-Jones, she let the streams of green leaves trailing under children use scopes and pooters to the water. Stream water crowfoot really get ‘up close and personal’ thrives in clean fast-flowing conditions, with the larvae and the nymphs. but it is difficult establish new plants. The enthusiastic feedback from the One reason is that swans love to eat it, children and the classroom assistants and in the past ARK’s efforts to plant was extremely rewarding. it have been quickly undone by a few greedy swans. Mayfly in the classroom has been a huge success. We use this project Don Harris has designed a cunning new to explain to school children the bit of kit to help protect the growing plants from swans. We will be trialing it at importance and value of water of life. several sites this year, and we’ll let you know how we get on.

Helen Kelly Charlotte Hitchmough Action for River Kennet Newsletter 29 SUMMER 2013 PAGE 7

Sewer Flooding Electronic monitoring systems are among the solutions being considered to help prevent sewer flooding in the Kennet Valley.

Watching the Kennet flow serenely between its midsummer banks it’s hard to remember last winter’s unprecedented rainfall. One Riverfly particularly serious side effect of the rapidly rising water table was that which connect customers’ properties groundwater began to seep into low- to the main Thames Water sewers. Visit lying drains, leading to the horrible problem of sewer flooding. With the help of the Aldbourne- Every month ARK’s based Drainage Improvement Group riverfly monitoring data To cope with the problem tanker (DIG) Thames Water is developing is forwarded to the lorries were deployed, round the new Infiltration Reduction Plans clock in some places, to relieve that will help to make the sewerage Environment Agency flows in the overloaded sewers and network more resilient in years to pumping stations. Once groundwater come. Amongst the options being Because our scheme has grown to fills the sewerage network, noisy considered are: forty sites on the Kennet, Og and tankers are often the only way • telemetry-linked observation Dun, the new Environment Agency to prevent sewage flooding into boreholes to monitor regional co-ordinator, Inger Jennings, people’s homes and businesses. groundwater levels visited the Upper Kennet on 13 May. • overflow storage tanks to During her guided tour of the riverfly After a similar episode in 2000/1 hold excess wastewater from sites between Manton and Ramsbury Thames Water relined 95km of sewers overloaded sewers she met several monitors at their to guard against future groundwater • further relining, or resealing, sites including ARK Director Charlotte infiltration. This time, groundwater of sewers/drains to prevent Hitchmough and Ramsbury River infiltrated from other parts of the groundwater infiltration. Keeper Eddie Starr. network, including the ‘lateral’ pipes, Simon Evans – Thames Water Harry Forbes

From the ARKive Twenty years ago this pair of heavy horses were brought all the way from Dorset to harrow the floor of the River Kennet between Marlborough and Ramsbury.

This traditional method of breaking up encrusted silt in advance of the winter trout-spawning season had not been used in living memory and John Hounslow, the local river-keeper, was interested to see whether it was worth reviving. In the event, the reduced water flow of the modern Kennet was too weak to wash the debris downstream in the way intended and so the experiment has not been repeated. The photograph was taken by the late Julian Rogerson of Ramsbury – keen fisherman, lover of the Kennet and early supporter of ARK. Action for River Kennet Newsletter 29 SUMMER 2013 PAGE 8

ARK People Dates for Your Diary Saturday 17 August ARK is holding a wildlife walk around Stonebridge Wild Kevin Light River Reserve from 2–4 pm. We will be looking for water voles, kingfishers and grass snakes, as well as identifying I run a landscape and environmental invertebrates and plants in the meadow and river. planning consultancy and use my skills to help the diverse team that The walk is free, but booking is essential (phone 01672 make ARK so potent. My favourite 511028 or email [email protected]). Accompanied time on the Kennet is early morning, children are very welcome, but not dogs as they may when the wildlife reclaim the man- frighten some of the more secretive wildlife we hope to see. managed landscape for themselves. Saturday 20 September Stonebridge Meadow bat walk. Meet at the start of the Derek Pinchen boardwalk, Stonebridge Lane at 6.30 pm. Thursday 7 November Watching kingfishers from ARK’s 2013 AGM, will be held this year in Hungerford Town his kitchen window as a child Hall. developed into a lifelong interest in wildlife and the Kennet. Derek is a regular Wednesday afternoon ARK volunteer, assists with reptile and amphibian surveying and submits muddy runoff and wildlife records. Websites worth visiting

Michelle Haveron

Michelle lives in Marlborough and describes the Kennet as ‘nature on The Wye & Usk Foundation is a charity dedicated your doorstep’. She volunteers on to restoring the habitat, water quality and fisheries of Wednesday afternoons because she the rivers Wye and Usk. Through partnership projects feels it’s important to give nature a it aims to remedy problems such as: helping hand. She’s helped restore riverbanks, plant water crowfoot and • habitat degradation remove Himalayan balsam, as well • poor water quality as allowing her car to be filled with • barriers to fish migration tools and waders! • over-exploitation of fisheries.

To find out more please visit: http://www.wyeuskfoundation.org

Members of ARK receive a copy of this We hope you have enjoyed this newsletter newsletter either by mail or email. and if you have any comments or ideas for Action for the River Kennet future issues, do please pass them on! PO Box 2919, Manton, Marlborough If you’d like to find out more about Wiltshire SN8 4WE ARK, volunteering opportunities or Edited by Rowan Whimster membership please visit our website ([email protected]) t: 01672 513672 e: [email protected] at www.riverkennet.org or contact Designed by Helen Llewelyn Registered charity number: 1120725 Carolyn White at [email protected] Printed on 100% recycled paper