Evidence shows damage to River Ems
The Friends of the Ems group, formed
by people in Westbourne and the surrounding area, has
assembled a dossier of evidence to show how the river has
been harmed.
The group believes the river is
being seriously damaged by the amount of water being removed
from its underground sources, and is lobbying Portsmouth
Water and the Environment Agency for a reduction. It has
been backed by Chichester MP Gillian Keegan and local
councillors.
A group spokesperson said: ‘Since we
formed back in September we’ve done a lot of research, which
has included uncovering past reports, speaking to experts
and recording the memories of local people.
‘We’ve gathered a lot of evidence
which we believe shows how much the river has deteriorated
over the years. It’s now at a very worrying point and action
is needed to save it.
‘Having enough water in our taps is
of vital importance. But the social and environmental
benefits of a fully functioning river are also of immense
value.
‘The Ems is a very rare chalk
stream, one of only about 200 of its kind on Earth. It’s a
vital resource for local people as well as for wildlife.
Walkers find beauty and relaxation along its banks. Children
play in it, feed the ducks, catch tiddlers and experience
nature. It has a huge role in the wellbeing and mental
health of the community.
‘We believe it must be possible to
find a way of reducing pressure on the river while
maintaining a water supply.’
The group, known as FOTE, says the
Ems was healthier and flowed more strongly in the past,
before modern-day abstraction (removal of water) by
Portsmouth Water.
It says:
·
Past editions of the national angling guide Where to
Fish show that the river has changed dramatically. From at
least 1928 through to 1966, the guide’s description of the
Ems was consistent. It said the river ‘rises above Racton’
and has ‘good trouting’. By 1967 the entry had been modified
to: ‘rises above Racton, trout, but upper reaches are dry
most of summer’. By 1973 there was no mention of the Ems as
a place to fish at all.
·
There was a commercial angling club at Aldemoor/Lord’s
Fishpond (alongside Foxbury Lane, just before Woodmancote
Lane) that died out in the early 1970s, after abstraction
began.
·
The Domesday Book (1086) listed four mills and a
fishery at Westbourne, a mill at Warblington, a mill at
Newtimber (close to Warblington), a mill at Lordington, two
mills at Nutbourne and three mills at Bosham. The four mills
at Westbourne were recorded as the most valuable in the
area, well above the average for mills in Sussex. This
suggests they were stronger than average. The fact that
there was a mill at Lordington suggests there was once a
much greater flow of water there. On the 1640 map of
Westbourne there are at least two watermills in the village
itself (River Street and King Street), and up to five
fisheries.
·
The area had extensive water meadows and watercress
beds, visible to this day on LIDAR (aerial laser survey)
maps.
·
There was a sheepwash below Broadwash Bridge (on the
Common Road, just north of Foxbury Lane) that was used to
wash flocks in June before they were sheared.
·
Numerous oral history records suggest that the river
was never dry below Aldemoor/Lord’s Fishpond, north of
Westbourne, before abstraction began in the 1960s. It was
rarely dry below Broadwash Bridge, and for extensive parts
of the year trout and eels could be found as far north as
Mitchamer pond below Stoughton.
·
Plant and animal surveys reported to the Environment
Agency in 2007 suggest the Ems used to be perennial (flowing
year-round) below Broadwash bridge.
FOTE says climate change or
urbanisation cannot account for this reduction in the
strength of the river.
It points out that in the last 50
years it has become quite common for the millpond at
Westbourne to dry out in dry summers, despite Portsmouth
Water pumping water into the river above the village.
In late September last year, local
people were appalled when the river became not much more
than a chain of puddles through the village, with dead and
dying fish. One resident described it as the worst he had
ever seen.
The
river had already been on the edge of drying out, but
reached this crisis point because of a failure of a pump
used by Portsmouth Water to add water at times of low flow.
The pump was eventually fixed, and
rain helped to restore some flow. Portsmouth Water
apologised, referring to ‘technical problems’.
It is likely that the river and its
wildlife will take years to recover. FOTE believes the
incident highlights long-term issues with the management of
the river.
Several reports on the Ems accept
the impact that abstraction has had on the river and its
biodiversity. Abstraction rates have been fairly constant
over the last 50 years but the condition of the river has
got steadily worse.
FOTE says this reflects the unsustainability of the
abstraction, especially during a period of
changing
climate. It believes species including the water vole,
kingfisher and brown trout could become locally extinct.
It
does not accept that the river is a winterbourne – a stream
or river that is naturally dry through the summer months. It
says that before abstraction began, it had a year-round flow
well above Westbourne.
FOTE is part of Greening Westbourne,
a local environmental campaign. Greening Westbourne has been
supporting a proposal by Chichester District Council to make
the area along the Ems a designated “wildlife corridor”
because of its environmental importance.
Local
people who want to join FOTE can get involved by signing up
as supporter. They should email
greeningwestbourne@hotmail.co.uk
The group is also keen to receive
more information, especially written or photographic
evidence, that suggests the river once enjoyed better
conditions and flows. It is also still collecting evidence
of how the community and river wildlife have been affected
by low flows.
John Millard, Greening Westbourne.
More News
from Emsworth
HERE |