SPRING 2017 36

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

ARK in the community With the support of Tesco Bags of Help, the ARK-led Ramsbury Community River and Wildlife Project is nearing completion. reducing runoff pollution that enters the river.

ARK worked with Wildlife Trust at the trust’s Ramsbury Meadow Nature Reserve to build new river and pond viewing platforms and steps built from non-slip recycled plastic. The Scouts are also now enjoying outdoor sessions around their new purpose built fire pit.

The final element to this project is our input to a new wildlife garden at Ramsbury Primary. Designed by Hampton Court Gold medal winner Wendy Allen, it features lots of water efficiency measures.

Anna Forbes

“ Thanks to the excellent project management of ARK’s Anna Forbes and the help of so many volunteers the project has made a popular walk This innovative scheme has enabled ’s A4 Hire for donating in the village and the Ramsbury us to work closely with groups their digger and to the Howe Mill Triangle more accessible to everyone and individuals from the village to Estate and their riverkeeper Eddie as well as helping the Recreation improve spaces for wildlife and the Starr for their input. Centre, the Scouts and the school. community in a range of ways. The Parish Council is extremely The villagers also turned out and grateful to ARK for obtaining this At the Ramsbury Triangle we’ve run planted Yew trees at the Recreation money and making sure that it was five all-day river restoration sessions Ground – hedging is a fantastic used to best advantage.” for volunteers old and new to learn habitat critical to the existence of Sheila Glass, Chairwoman of new skills and help look after their many species of wildlife and it does Ramsbury & Axford Parish Council river. Special thanks are also due to an excellent job slowing down and Action for River Kennet Newsletter 36 SPRING 2017 PAGE 2

News from the Chairman I took over as Chairman of ARK from Geoffrey Findlay in December and I want to take this opportunity to thank him for his total commitment to the River.

During the six years he chaired for a sustainable future. Working with ARK has a track record of delivering ARK, Geoffrey led the charity to members of the committee and staff very efficiently using volunteers become not only a well-respected I am determined we will show how and goodwill to its optimum, but it and trusted authority on the River ARK can chart its way through what cannot do this without its core staff Kennet but also an effective deliverer will be very challenging times and and budgets. I see a key task for of practical activity that conserves not just survive but prosper. me, as the new Chairman, to secure and enhances the river. Some of the resources that we can rely on year on many things that were achieved on Since the financial crash of 2008 year. So, I will be looking to work with his watch include the creation of the number of small and medium- local businesses and organisations the Stonebridge reserve, fencing sized environmental charities being such as Thames Water and other and grazing Cooper’s Meadow, the wound up has increased dramatically. conservation groups to agree on growth in membership to over 500 Continued fiscal constraint means how ARK can be supported to deliver members and securing numerous that the public-sector bodies that our shared aspirations for the River grants and awards. We now have a ARK works have also seen deep cuts Kennet over the coming years. small but dedicated team, a growing to their funding. This could be seen band of volunteers, a professional as an opportunity for us as we could Richard Clarke office and a reputation that massively effectively step into the vacuum left belies our modest size. Thank you, by these declining public bodies. Geoffrey.

My association with ARK is by no means as extensive as Geoffrey’s. I have been on the Committee for over ten years providing advice and guidance on both local and strategic environmental issues. I first became involved with ARK when I moved to Manton and took up the post as the first Director for the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 2003. Today I work for a national charity, the National Association for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as head of collaboration and policy. Photo: In January we held our fourth annual Volunteer Gathering, a thank you for all Going forward I hope to build on of their hard work and a chance for volunteers who help us in different ways and on Geoffrey’s legacy by helping ARK, the different days to meet one another. This year’s party was held in the home of volunteer staff, volunteers and members plan Bruce Hayllar and his wife Tricia. Action for River Kennet Newsletter 36 SPRING 2017 PAGE 3

How clean is our river? Chalk stream water is often referred to as ‘gin clear’, and this clarity is a defining characteristic of our chalk stream environments.

As rain lands on the rolling chalk human impact. Our volunteers are downlands of Wiltshire and , finding values of between 5 and 10 it seeps slowly through the fissures mg nitrate per litre in the Kennet and in the chalk to the aquifer beneath. its tributaries, although interestingly Here it becomes the source of the nitrate concentrations decrease Kennet’s rivers and streams as a series downstream. of springs. The process of infiltrating through the chalk naturally filters Our volunteers are also testing for many pollutants and sediments out phosphate. Phosphate is a nutrient of the water and it flows from the essential for plant growth but, like ground clear, cool and constant. nitrate, too much of it can be a problem. It causes algal blooms and, Despite this promising start, our river in extremes, kills fish. It is strongly is not as clean as we might hope. associated with pollution from sewage treatments works and septic Our water quality testing shows tanks. The Fresh Water Habitats Trust clearly that the river is carrying high describe a healthy limit for phosphate nitrate loads, right from the moment as 0.05 mg per litre for a low altitude, the water sees daylight. This is due high alkalinity river like the Kennet. Any value higher than this indicates Ogbourne can’t be pollution. Our water quality test used for drinking results show that phosphate levels water because the are consistently too high, with our nitrate concentrations lowest recorded level 0.07 rising to pose a risk to human 0.5mg phosphate per litre. There The pink circles show Nitrate health, specifically are localised peaks, which appear and the blue circles Phosphate. ‘blue baby syndrome’. to correlate with sewage treatment The larger the shape, the more To avoid this risk, works, urban areas and stretches pollution is present. water companies with a predominance of septic tanks, dilute water with although we need more detailed Photo: Example output from Nitrate and Phosphate testing high levels of nitrate testing to confirm this. in the Kennet Catchment with cleaner sources, or have to install Finally, our volunteers have been to a phenomenon known as the additional treatment measures to testing for turbidity – ie how clear the ‘nitrate time bomb’. It is a legacy from bring the level below the drinking water is. And it is almost always ‘gin a period of particularly intensive standard of 50mg/l. clear’, except following heavy rain farming that involved the application storms when we see lots of sediment of high levels of nitrogen-based In the river, high nitrogen levels act as from fields and roads flowing into the fertilisers to get good crops from a fertiliser, promoting excessive algal river, making it temporarily cloudy. poor soils. Not all the fertiliser was growth which smothers green plants This sediment settles into the gravel, used by the crops and the excess has and deprives the water environment which clogs up the spawning sites steadily worked its way through to of oxygen. The Fresh Water Habitats making it unsuitable for trout nests. the groundwater. Trust has set a value of 1mg nitrate per litre as a definitive value for Charlotte Hitchmough The situation has become so acute ‘clean’ water in rivers. Any value that water from boreholes such as higher can be considered a result of Action for River Kennet Newsletter 36 SPRING 2017 PAGE 4

Farming Helping farmers to without ploughing help the Kennet ARK continues to offer advice on soil and nutrient management to farmers in the Kennet valley in partnership with Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF).

Many farmers are now keen to because the healthy soil is able to benchmark the health of their soils, keep them bound on to stable soil not just in terms of soil chemistry aggregates. but also taking into account the soil biology. We can now measure Three years ago, the ARK farm advice such parameters as soil carbon, soil programme started to highlight the George Hosier explains respiration, earthworm numbers importance of soil health and cover and varieties and frequencies of soil crops. This coincided with an increase cover cropping and direct fungi and soil bacteria. ARK and CSF in interest among farmers in ‘new’ drilling to some Kennet have offered this analytic service to techniques that had the potential to farmers. farmers in the Kennet catchment, so regenerate the biology in their soils. they can establish a baseline from Three years on, ARK have held two which to improve their soils. very successful direct drilling and The Hosier family have been farming cover crop events at George Hosier’s at Wexcombe since George’s great Healthy, functioning soils with high Wexcombe Farm and a soil organic grandfather bought the farm in 1920. levels of carbon store more water and matter workshop at Henry Wilson’s George now runs the 625 hectare nutrients, drain more easily and grow Fishers Farm. One-to-one farm visits mixed farm, home to 50 suckler cows, better crops than soils low in organic continue to be offered, tailored to 120 ewes, one drill, one sprayer, one matter. Surface run-off is reduced, specific farm needs. fertilizer spreader, one set of rolls and because water can infiltrate more one combine. No plough or any other easily into the soil. Fewer nutrients Timothy Clarke cultivation kit. will be leached into groundwater

George establishes all his crops by direct drilling and has widened his rotation to include cover crops and catch crops. These mixed crops (made up with ten species) keep the soil covered, continue to feed the soil microbes during the winter, catch nutrients that would otherwise have been leached and provide feed for the livestock. The animals also play a key part in the rotation, eating the cover crops and treading the residues down into contact with the soil.

Now in his fourth year of cover cropping and direct drilling, George is already noticing better soil structure, less blackgrass and crucially better financial margins. Photo: Manton residents joined ARK volunteers in January to restore the gravel Timothy Clarke beach access point to the river in the Jubilee Field, Manton. Action for River Kennet Newsletter 36 SPRING 2017 PAGE 5

Rain gardens for healthier rivers ARK are starting an exciting new project to capture and slow rainfall.

As soon as a drop of rain reaches the slowing the flow of water through ground, what happens to it influences our landscape is becoming more the river – so every area can be important. By doing this we can thought of as a ‘rain scape’, even your reduce river pollution from sewer own garden. overflows and from runoff from

Rain gardens are simply shallow depressions in the ground which capture rain from the areas surrounding them and allow it to soak slowly into the ground instead of running off to combined sewers, road drains or puddles in the road. The gardens are designed to hold water for no more than 12 hours at a depth of up to 15cm.

They are planted with a variety of plants which bring colour and wants to learn more about making interest as well as providing a home a rain garden at home. We are Photo credit: Robert Bray Associates for wildlife, particularly pollinators. delighted to be working with Wendy Rain gardens are not designed to be Allen, designer of the RHS Gold roads, tracks and fields. As well as permanently saturated, but they need Medal winning ‘Rainchain’ garden at reducing surface-water flooding we to be planted with species which will Hampton Court Flower Show. can maximise the quantity of water tolerate ‘wet feet’ for short periods. that soaks into the ground, gently You can download a free guide by As areas become more urban, with refilling the aquifer to keep our chalk visiting www.raingardens.info fewer permeable surfaces, and streams flowing for longer. climate patterns change towards Storm water or downspout planters periods of intense rain storms, Charlotte Hitchmough are plant-filled boxes which intercept, filter and slow rainfall coming from roofs. They are designed to reduce localised flooding and smooth out Good news from Thames Water! the impact of heavy storms, giving time for overstretched drainage ARK members will be well aware levels. This 18.2 km pipeline and networks to cope. that the River Kennet has suffered associated pumping stations is being a longstanding problem of over- commissioned in March and will be ARK’s first planters will form part of abstraction and that we have been available for use from 1 April 2017 Preshute School, Manton’s entry in to campaigning vociferously for when the licences are reduced in Britain in Bloom. Over the next few more than 20 years to get water order to provide protection for the months we will be working with other abstraction reduced. River Kennet. schools, including Chilton Foliat, to find ways to make playgrounds The exciting good news is that ARK and Thames Water are currently more water friendly by identifying Thames Water’s new pipeline to organising a community event near opportunities to slow down rain and transfer water from south Swindon Axford to celebrate the reduction, to let it soak in to the ground. to the Kennet Valley will enable the take place late June – more details to groundwater source at Ogbourne follow in due course. In May we will run our first rain to be closed and abstraction from garden workshop with Marlborough the source at Axford to be reduced Charlotte Hitchmough Gardening Society for anyone who when flows in the Kennet are at low Action for River Kennet Newsletter 36 SPRING 2017 PAGE 6

More fish Trout and Eels in passes on the way… Schools It is well documented that Our educational collaboration with Thames Water to be successful, fish need continues to thrive. to be able to get access to a range of different habitats.

For instance trout require clean gravel and fast flowing water to lay their eggs, but newly swimming fry need to be able to get to sheltered reedy margins in order to survive the first few weeks of life, safe from predators and with access to food. Even Dace, which appear to stay in the same place all the time, move surprising distances at night, and then migrate to much lower river reaches in winter, only to return to the upper reaches the following summer. We have taken trout tanks into five Photos: By happy coincidence, we Over time man has built weirs, schools this spring term – more than visited Focus School, Reading as their sluices, mills and impoundments, ever before – and we are planning first egg hatched revealing to the breaking the river into sections which for five schools to join the eels project children the huge yolk sack and barely fish can’t escape from, and this limits in the summer term too. Michael visible translucent alevin’s body – they their survival. Stevenson at Berkshire Trout Farm were captivated. has once again generously donated eggs and food, kindly holding back During 2017 ARK will be working with 10 trout hens for late stripping to fit river owners and the Environment with the school terms and is also on Agency to open up more of the hand with support if needed during Kennet to fish passage, with four the project. new fish passes between Elcot and Stitchcombe planned for this year. The typical school project starts with Working with the Kennet Catchment delivering and setting up the tank Partnership we are investigating the ready for the eggs to be delivered a potential to make a further three few day later when we’re confident structures on the River Dun the system is stable and equipment working reliably. We explain routine passable too. checks and top tips for trout care to the teachers and are on call for Charlotte Hitchmough worries and concerns as the eggs March we accompany each school hatch into alevins. to their local river for the release back into the Kennet – a fitting As the fry develop, we return with culmination and celebration of the another classroom session on children’s diligence in caring for the Invertebrate Identification, The Water juvenile trout. Cycle or the ever popular Bin It Don’t Block It session. Finally in late Juliet Bonser Action for River Kennet Newsletter 36 SPRING 2017 PAGE 7

New Zealand Lending a Pigmy Weed

In our last Newsletter we reported that helping hand to New Zealand Pigmy Weed (Crassula Helmsii) had been found in Wilton Water. Sadly it has now been identified the River Dun in the nearby reservoir ditch

The River Dun is a pretty chalk stream tributary of the Kennet and is becoming the focus of a series of projects.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

and the leat. It’s a very difficult species to control as even a tiny fragment on a duck’s foot can re-establish Our relationship with Bearwater, itself elsewhere. It is more prolific in Hungerford continues to grow thanks The residents at Bearwater will be a still or slow moving water and once to funding from Thames Water’s Rivers big part of this project and will be established is almost impossible to and Wetlands Community Days. In welcome on the riverbank to chat with eradicate. April we are leading a river habitat the volunteers and see what we are improvement project on the River Dun doing and why. You can help by recording any as it flows through Bearwater, with sightings using Plant Tracker. This is a local individuals and groups, as well Meanwhile in the Parish web site created to track locations of as Cognatum staff. Places on our four Council approached ARK for advice on non-native species across the country. community river days are filling up fast how they could make the river more Go to www.planttracker.org.uk and we are thrilled to see how many accessible for the village to enjoy, and and record where you’ve spotted Hungerford residents want to learn make sure that the river and meadow New Zealand Pigmy weed (or any new skills while helping restore a local are good place for wildlife. We held a other non-native species) and help stretch of river. very well attended first workshop in build a national picture to focus February to explore what the villagers resources. There is also an app Last year we set up a new riverfly site want from the river and meadow that available to download via the website on the Dun, which is now monitored they own. We have secured some which shows detailed pictures for monthly by local resident and trained funds from the North Wessex Downs identification while you’re on the ARK riverfly monitor Ivor Regan. AONB towards the first phase of move. Bearwater manager Anne Maddison, design and work and we look forward gardener Andrew King and resident to working with the Parish Council to Linda Nemeth Ron Rowland are undertaking make the most of this beautiful river in quarterly water-quality testing and the middle of the village. we are water-vole surveying too. All of these studies give us information to Charlotte Hitchmough and evaluate the state of the river locally Anna Forbes and contribute to national data sets. Action for River Kennet Newsletter 36 SPRING 2017 PAGE 8

ARK People Dates for Your Diary 19, 20, 26 and 27 April Imogen May Community River Days on the River Dun at Bearwater, Hungerford from 10am. I started volunteering for ARK in 8 April, 12 May, 16 June and 15 July 2015 as part of my Bronze Duke of Moth Night at the Scrub Area of Stonebridge Meadow, Edinburgh Award, and have continued Marlborough – times to be advised. since. I was slightly apprehensive as to whether I would enjoy doing Monday 29 May outdoor work but from the first day I ARK will have a stand at the Ramsbury Country Fair, thoroughly enjoyed it. It has enabled Hilldrop Farm, Ramsbury. Visit www.ramsburyweek.co.uk/ me to learn more about wildlife and ramsbury-country-fair/ for more information and ticket the environment, and I have even had sales. the opportunity to become a water vole surveyor. I would thoroughly recommend it. Saturday 26 August Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) perform ‘As You Like It’ on the riverbank at Harbrook, Ramsbury. Anne Maddison For more details on all these events see our website or As the Manager of the Bearwater contact [email protected] Retirement Estate, Hungerford, a bonus is that the beautiful River Dun runs through our grounds. Whilst previous work experience prepared me Websites Worth Visiting for my role with elderly residents, ARK have been instrumental in helping me The Catchment Based learn about the life of a chalk stream. Approach (CaBA) is a We now assist with water quality community-led way of testing, and look forward to the River engaging people and Dun Restoration Project in April. groups from across society to help improve Judy Pitts our precious water environments. CaBA Partnerships are now actively working in more than100 catchments across For many years I have enjoyed walking England and Wales. along the River Kennet with my www.catchmentbasedapproach.org family, watching the changes in the river. Prompted by the conservation and improvement work carried out by ARK we became members. I now volunteer and collect donations, stuff envelopes, go redd-spotting and Riverfly monitoring and don waders to Learn how you can support ARK every time ‘play in the river’ helping with the river you shop online just visit: improvement projects. www.easyfundraising.org.uk/arkactionfortheriverkennet

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! Avebury, Elcot Park, Elcot Lane If you’d like to find out more about Marlborough SN8 2BG ARK, volunteering opportunities or membership please visit our website Edited by Rowan Whimster t: 01672 512 700 e: [email protected] at www.riverkennet.org or email ([email protected]) Registered charity number: 1120725 [email protected] Printed on 100% recycled paper