the river Kennet has run dry near Marlborough college

[BoldBear]

I see the river Kennet has run dry near Marlborough college due to excessive abstraction and the recent lack of rain.

(see link below):

< Riverbed_near_Marlborough_lies_empty >

Quote from this article:

"All Party Parliamentary Angling Group chairman Charles Walker is upset over the state of the river upstream of Marlborough College, where it is devoid of water in stretches of what should be a fast-flowing trout stream."

The future state of our rivers doesn't bode well I fear, plus it has a dire effect on some of our stillwaters too if they are reliant on the water table and/or stream fed.

[Complete Tangler]

I fish a stretch approximately 7 miles east of Marlborough, and I have seen the water level continually drop over the years, so much so that there used to be a weir/grid at the end of the stretch (just before Barton Court), this was removed 3 or so years ago due to a lack of water, this weir used to hold huge amounts of fish, the fish are still around but not in the numbers they used to be.
You used to be able to fish the weir and catch in excess of 30lb of Dace in a session without too much problem, sadly those days are gone.

[Greenheart]

It's really sad, you can still see the small shelter & benches that were provided for the fly fishermen to sit on, but the rivers bone dry. I did notice that what I think is a pumping station at West Kennet had burnt down recently & wondered if an irate fisherman was the culprit. I couldn't find any reference to it in any local papers though.I think whats needed is a few more reservoirs. The problem is that water is a valuable commodity which is now owned by private shareholders. And any commodity that is in short supply has a higher value...

[Paul_Murphy]

I'm sure this was in the Angling Times a few weeks back. Keith Arthur was flapping his gums about it, blaming the EA (if i remember correctly). It situations like this it seems unlikely that there is anyone to blame except perhaps the weather. I did hope the recent flooding would have rejuvenated some of the rivers and lakes that have suffered from recent low rain fall levels, bit sadly this doesnt seem the case.

[BoldBear]

Originally Posted by Paul_Murphy

It situations like this it seems unlikely that there is anyone to blame except perhaps the weather. I did hope the recent flooding would have rejuvenated some of the rivers and lakes that have suffered from recent low rain fall levels, bit sadly this doesnt seem the case.

I was told and I have also read that there are a couple of companies in the UK that have been given abstraction rights and which export our water to Spain and other mainland countries via tankers & Container ships.

But why??? when we are so short of water in the UK??
Surely it doesn't take an emergency to flag this up, does it?? It's been happening and getting worse each year.

It seems that to a few 'Money' often takes precedence over 'Need'!!!

I know that the lack of rain is a major factor; for example Tring Reservours and the surrounding stretches of canal they feed have either dried out or are extremely low in water; anglers are having to cross the muddy reserviour beds to fish in the few remaining puddles (and in the middle of winter???).

I have also been told that by the time the water in the river Lea gets to The Thames it has already passed through 7 people.

It doesn't bode well for the future of our waters does it? especially if this is just going to get worse when we experience this more and more as the climate changes.

It isn't only our rivers and streams that suffer either; because any stillwater that relies on the water table and/or inlet streams will suffer too.

[chris.oldgit]

so much for the EA rod licence money we pay to protect our fishing /waters

[northern eye]

Its a disgrace, surely something must be done to prevent this - It is not the weather, rivers should not dry up in winter, there has still been rainy days, moisture in the atmosphere and frosts and ice on the hills. This is abstaction and whoever is doing it should be monitoring river levels and know that the water is too low to take anymore out!! Who is allowing this to go on unhindered???

[Complete Tangler]

There was this in the local rag last year.

http://www.marlboroughnewsonline.co....in-marlborough

[BoldBear]

I just read this article about what the Environment Agency say about what they have done about Abstraction.

http://www.fishingmagic.com/news_eve...m-success.html

Appears like it was too little too late and certainly not as much of a success as we need.

[chris.oldgit]

the government and ea should be accountable for the demise, the monies paid for the water abstraction, should be made available to replenish the rivers