The River Adur

NRA NRA Southern Box 7 THE RIVER ADUR NATIONAL LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICE SOUTHERN REGION Guildbourne House. Chatsworth Road Worthing, West Sussex BN 11 1LD NRA National Rivers A u thority Southern Region ENVIRONMENT AGENCY Guardians of the Water Environment 0 5 4 5 0 2 RIVER ADUR COURSE AND HISTORY until 1821 that the present river mouth at Kingston was established The name Adur, although derived as a permanent feature. from the Celtic w ord Dwyr The principal streams o f the river meaning “w ater” was applied to the are the Western Adur, which rises river in quite recent times, the first in the parish of Slinfold and flows record o f that name having been in through Shipley and West 1612. Previous names through the Grinstead, and the Eastern Adur ages were the Sore, the Beeding, which rises on Ditchling Common Bramber Water, Alder and and thence flows north and west to Shoreham River. pass between Haywards Heath and Until the latter half of the 15th Burgess Hill. These two principal century, the neighbouring Arun streams meet near Henfield and and the River Adur shared a take a common course through the com m on outlet to the sea at a place Henfield Levels, an area of Natural Beauty. The river finds its known as Pen-house in Lancing. delightful unspoilt marshes way thence to join the sea at The shingle of the longshore drift particularly attractive to Shoreham. Ownership o f the tidal pushed the Adur progressively dragonflies, damselflies and river below MHW, together with towards Hove whereas the Arun overwintering wetland birds. The the fishing rights, dates from before was thrust back westwards, before river, in keeping with the other Magna Carta and is with the Duke the constant piling up o f the Sussex rivers, has carved a course of Norfolk. Shoreham Port shingle, to find its own exit to the through the soft chalk of the South Authority is responsible for the sea. New entrances were made for Downs. Known locally as the canal to the east of the harbour the River Adur in 1760, 1775, 1800 Shoreham Gap, this valley is entrance and the estuary up to the and 1810 but all silted up. It was not designated an Area of Outstanding Toll Bridge. ater "In ye month o f Noi<ember, 1692. there was a trout found in ye Poyningswish, in Tuineham which was 29 inches long from ye top o f ye nose to ye tip o f ye taile; and John fflint had him and eat him He was left in a low slank after a ffloode, and ye water fell away from him. and he died The fish / saw at John fflin t’s house ye Sunday after they had him; and at night they boiled him fo r supper, but could not eat one halfe o f him; and there was six o f them at supper. John fflin t and his wife Jane, and fou r o f their children. and ye next day they a ll fe ll on him again and compassed him " oolham ' PJ1U| Ik ShiAley y if UMo.) RWassli S 'X II r f e l— ^ n IUTI OUI NE Grinsiei w&p pham /Z/rviAN(3F VirNEiYARD/ AT/nial I LIN G , ON Twnehcm Weir / seacon /©itchling-:------- BEACON CH AT i I OF PIPI _ lotolphs i l l T r a ilS) Coombes North I In i-T O W I m « l, ■ i n r ancingr^ NRA „ Cartography prepared and published by ESTATE PUBLICATIONS>ns VNC£M Q r with the editorial assistance of the SOUTHERN TOURIST BOARD Based upon the ORDNANCE SURVEY maps with the sanction of the controller of HM Stationery Office National Rivers Authority © Estate Publications j Crown copyright reserved Southern Region x ■=7- GEOLOGY AND the river very dependant on rain deal of effort into encouraging Merrion's Bridge at high tide fall, so that in dry weather up to farmers to develop efficient waste HYDROLOGY 7/8 of the flow in the upper reaches management methods. Water may be treated sewage effluent. Quality Officers are engaged in a The catchment area of the Adur is approximately 500 kmJ of which Through the 1960s to 1980s continuing programme of inspec the E. Adur drains 167 km* and population growth in this area out tions and visits to advise farmers the W. Adur drains 143 km*. 195 stripped the provision of sewage and a measure of their success is knr’ drain to the tidal section which treatment works, so that effluents that, for most o f the time, there is is 18 km long. Average rainfall over were not always of sufficiently high nothing to show for their hard the catchment is 828mm. quality to maintain the river in work. People only notice when The river has an exceptional Class 2 (capable of supporting gixxl things go wrong! number of small tributaries, reflect coarse fisheries). However, a new The Environmental Quality ing the geology o f the upper catch sewage treatment works for Bur Objective for the W. Adur and the ment which is primarily Wealden gess Hill should result in greatly Parsons Brook, which are both on Clay. Tributaries on the clay, and improved effluent quality. the Wealden Clay, is Class 2. The in particular the W. Adur, have low River Quality Objectives are set Honeybridge Stream and Blake’s base flows but respond quickly to by the National Rivers Authority, Gill have an objective o f Class IB. surface run-off during periods of which also controls the quantity rain. As a consequence, they are and composition o f all effluents steep banked, particularly in the discharged into the catchment by FISHERIES headwaters. By contrast The Copy a system o f “consents”. The NRA hold Gill and the Cowfold Stream monitors river water quality and Coarse fisheries on the freshwater Community structure and rise from springs in the Tunbridge samples effluents throughout the tidal section and the lower reaches fish biomass Wells Sand and these provide a year. Given the nature of the catch o f the two branches o f the Adur reliable base flow. The southern ment and size o f population, efflu are typical of the mature stage of a tributaries, the Honeybridge ent consent conditions are neces river and are characterised by Stream, Black Sewer, Herrings sarily stringent. bottom feeders such as bream, carp Stream and Woods Mill Stream are The Copyhold Gill and Cowfold and tench. The middle reaches fed by prolific chalk springs on the Stream drain relatively large catch support populations of roach, chub, scarp face o f the South Downs. ments with a good gradient and dace and gudgeon, whilst the head The tidal section crosses first the water quality is good. Both have waters are typified by wild popul I-ower Greensand near Stretham an objective o f Class IB (high water ations o f small brown trout. Manor, then the Gault Clay. Just quality suitable for game and high The W. Adur supports coarse fish above Beeding Upper Greensand class fisheries). The Chess stream biomasses o f between 150—200 replaces clay, and patches o f Valley is Class IB for most o f its length, kg/ha (lbs/acre) in its middle and Sakeham Gauging Station Gravel occur before the river cuts but Class 2 in the lower reaches lower reaches, though agricultural through the chalk. below Henfield. pollutions have from time to time The National Rivers Authority caused fish mortalities. Outfall from the Vale Bridge Lake has flow gauging stations at Sake- The E. Adur has been less able ham on the E. Adur and Hatterell’s to support a high biomass of coarse W eir on the W. Adur. These pro fish, stock densities o f around 100 vide data which enable the National kg/ha are found in the area of Biom ass =124 k g /h a Rivers Authority to manage abstrac Sakeham. tion from the river, through a In common with all the Sussex licensing system. The river is not rivers, the Adur has a good run of Hattereir* Walr heavily abstracted with a few licen sea trout which migrate into the ces for general agriculture and river late in the year. Spawning spray irrigation but none for dom takes place on gravels in the head estic consumption. waters throughout the catchment. The Sussex sea trout generally make good growth and average between 2—2.5 kg (4'/2—51bs) with WATER QUALITY - Biom ass = 178 k g /h a exceptional individuals reaching E. ADUR K e y 7 kg (I61bs). One o f the earliest Good road and rail communica B Bream, Ch Chub, Cp Carp, records of an impressive trout from tions between London and Brigh D Dace, E Eel, G Gudgeon, the catchment is to be found in ton have encouraged the develop O Other, P Perch, Pk Pike, the diary o f Richard Stapley, and ment of dormitory towns such as R Roach, Rd Rudd, T Tench. no doubt refers to a sea-run trout, Burgess Hill, Hassocks and Hurst- ( see centre spread ). pierpoint, with the result that there Ditchling Common Pond FLOOD DEFENCE The Flood Defence Department of " ^ % the National Rivers Authority is Carp WATER QUALITY - responsible for protecting people I b F - W. ADUR and property from tidal and river * + r fkxxling. On the tidal section of Tench Apart from a few small areas of the River Adur, the Authority £ ^ ° ce ^ mixed woodland, most of this maintains the flood banks from catchment is agricultural land used Shoreham to Burgess Hill and to Ruddd ^ primarily for livestock farming Shipley and carries out localised The clay soil and profusion of land desilting on the tidal section.

Load more