Dodgy Modelling and Cooking the Books

Apologies for recent tardiness regarding posts.

Been a bit busy.

Exchanging lengthy emails with people various on the state of play apropos aquifers in the Dever Valley.



Some people have been very helpful, others daft and occasionally disturbing.

The "Customers and Engagement" team at Command Centre Central described the Dever as a "Winter bourne" (it isn't, or it didn't used to be below Micheldever) and followed that up with an explanation of what a winterbourne is.

I have been informed three times by "Customers and Engagement " and also by a helpful Hydrologist that there were no major groundwater abstractions in the Dever Valley, each time I took my shoes off and threw them against the wall before setting out to take photos of a major groundwater abstraction in the Dever Valley.

Here's one

I'm not allowed to tell you where it is. An FOI request for the location of further such sites was refused on grounds of security.

It is sited two fields away from the River Dever.



and at this point I'd like to suggest that the cone of influence from this site could impact on the Upper Dever.

The senior Hydrologist replied that their records suggest that following extensive modelling, the cone of influence could impact upon the River Test which is three miles away and not the River Dever (two fields away remember).

I asked the senior Hydrologist to revisit the modelling and the subsequent records and take another look, which they have agreed to do.

I await a reply.




Both Customers & Engagement and The Hydrologists were very pleased about their monitoring of river flow and water quality at Bransbury Bridge, which they insist would pick up on any impact from over abstraction at the significant groundwater abstraction in the Dever Valley.

I suggested to both Customers & Engagement and The Hydrologists that most groundwater abstracted from the site was returned to the river via the waterworks at Barton Stacey, which is upstream from the Bransbury Bridge.

If there had been a breach of the abstraction licence on the site. Water flow measuring at Bransbury would not pick it up.

The Dever upstream from the outflow from the water works would however feel the impact of the over abstraction. The water quality below the discharge pipe would also decrease as the percentage of the river's flow made up from treated water increased.

I asked them to make a site visit to the Upper Dever valley and if the water quality monitored at Bransbury Bridge had demonstrated any change as the summer progressed. They have promised to take a look,

I await a reply.

Last year, Command Centre Central confessed that its Upper Itchen Flow Augmentation scheme that requires groundwater to be abstracted and sent down the Candover Stream to preserve the SAC status of the Upper Itchen is impacting upon groundwater levels in the Dever catchment. The site of the abstraction takes place not far from Madam and Otis on the left.

I asked them to revisit their assertion that there were no major groundwater abstractions in the Dever Valley.

There are others other than the two mentioned here, we have come across two others in the Dever Valley while seeking to lengthen life via the medium of walking.

I pointed out that the operators of the significant groundwater abstraction two fields away from the Upper Dever did not have the best record of late when it came to being open and honest about data collection, monitoring and potential impacts upon the aquatic environment. The suggestion had been made by regulators that there had been selective measurement of phosphates and books may also have been cooked.

I asked if the Government agency charged with providing protection to the aquatic environment could take a closer look at the machinations of this particular significant groundwater abstraction two fields away from the banks of the unique aquatic environment that is the River Dever.

I have yet to receive a reply to this one, and I fear that the gaze of Command Centre Central may once again have returned to the navel when presented with such a request to investigate this particular perpetrator.

Any progress will be reported here, but it's been raining for forty eight hours so I expect a quick fix to be acclaimed and whatever was that crank on the Dever banging on about. The overriding issue of over abstraction and a chronic decline in groundwater levels will once again be pushed to the bottom of the "things to do to protect precious chalk rivers" tray. Fingers will be crossed for an increase in precipitation and we'll all agree to muster at the same time next year to shout about the same problem, because that's how we've rolled in this valley for a long long time now.

Anyway, fishing's picked up a bit. We continue to experience good hatches of sedge and a procession of diddy olives rise from the river throughout the afternoon. Much of the ranunculus is now cashing in its chips and blanket weed rolls up into a ball and like a sub surface panjandrum, rolls away downstream giving off gammarus that lurk within.

Jobs for the winter are now becoming apparent. There are two bridges that must be replaced, plenty of planks that must be milled for projects various and a couple of months felling dodgy ash trees. Chainsaw muscles grow soft through the summer and November is often an achy month as this withered husk that passes for human form readjusts to new movements.

Last weekend we went to Winchester.

It's my Dad's 80th birthday later this year so family gathered to mark an event that should take place eight weeks hence (no pressure, keep taking the pills)

and at this point I'd like to invite everyone to my premature 80th birthday sometime next year. I'll chuck up an extensive gift list on here in a month or so. I know I'm only half way to eighty but forty years will assure that absolute vfm is achieved for all expensive items gifted.

That's him in the middle next to my Mum and it's he who must take the blame for me falling in and out of rivers for most of my life.

First fish I caught came from the Little Ouse (I think) It was a small roach, it was in the evening and my Dad was smoking a cigar (castella probably) as was Uncle Dennis. My Mum, Aunty Joyce and younger brother (a non fisher who suffered many fishing holidays) were not smoking cigars.

I don't remember my Dad catching anything that evening,

and so a pattern was set.

It was a tremendous lunch at the Hotel Du Vin that was capped by a parasol flying away on the wind (we dined alfresco. this was no babycham parasol) and smashing an old window.

If anybody eats at the Hotel Du Vin after reading this guff please mention this house's name.

We could be on for a free bowl of soup