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River Beane Restoration Association
(opens in a new tab)We're a volunteer-run not-for-profit group working to protect and improve the River Beane for the benefit of all. We work closely with Herts Wildlife Trust, Environment Agency and other members of the River Beane Catchment Partnership riverbeane.co.uk
Another great example of what a healthy chalk stream should look like – with plenty of fallen (or, in this case, deliberately felled) trees. No small-scale ‘engineered’ flow deflectors here. Instead, the whole tree, branches and all🙂
Water Vole surveying over the weekend…Water Voles were reintroduced to the River Beane in 2022 after being absent for many years. Every six months our volunteers and those from the Herts Wildlife Trust survey the river to see how far they’ve spread. The autumn survey was done over the past few days. Great signs here at Waterford Marsh, even right alongside the public paths through the area.
Just a short way downstream of the dried up river (in our previous post) there’s still a steady flow as it passes under the Watton bypass bridge. This is typical chalk stream behaviour, with upper sections seeing less or no flow after a long dry summer, but still good flows further along. The water level in the river ‘lags behind’ the groundwater level, which in turn lags behind rainfall. That’s why the river flowed all summer, but owing to no significant rain since June, is now declining. It will decline more, and will take a whole winter of above average rainfall to improve. Right now, that doesn’t look too likely.
Did you know there’s still a hosepipe ban? Do you know why, even now the summer’s behind us? Here’s why. .Affinity Water 🦆 no longer abstract our water from under the Beane here, but the prolonged dry spell has seen groundwater levels (the ‘water table’) drop to super low levels and as a result the Beane has run dry between the fords near Aston. The official bore hole data is all available via our website… we’ve seen worse, but this is not good. It will take months of rain to recharge the aquifer and for the river to flow again. Let’s all start doing a rain dance 🌧️.
Today (the fourth Sunday of September) is #worldriversday… which seems an appropriate time to share these photos from earlier in the week: the launch of the #RiverBeane Flagship Restoration Project at an event held at the Woodhall Estate . This ambitious project, initially for 10 years will see significant improvements made to this iconic #chalkstream with a vision to restore it to good ecological health by 2050. Full details in the 8 page booklet at RiverBeane.co.uk/projects. Initial project partners include Affinity Water 🦆, Environment Agency, Herts & Middx Wildlife Trust and the RBRA.