Villagers fear drought lays doubt over future of Cambridgeshire's chalk streams
Some rivers have dried up after long spells of hot, dry weather
Villagers in South Cambridgeshire are fearful that chalk streams in the area may not survive the test of time.
Local MP Pippa Heylings is leading calls for better protection of these waterways after long spells of hot, dry weather this summer has caused some streams to dry out.
"A lot of these rivers are under threat from the lack of water," David Lomas, from the Wilbraham River Protection Society (WRPS), said.
"It's not just from this drought period we're having now; it's been the same over the last 20 years, in the summer, this river has had sections dry up almost every year since 1992."
Why are chalk streams important?
According to The Wildlife Trusts, chalk rivers emerge from the chalk aquifer, where water is rich in minerals and remains at a fairly constant temperature all year-round.
This allows for plants and various species - including fish - to grow.
The chalk acts as a sponge which soaks up rainfall and holds it in underground reservoirs known as aquifers.
When this stored water reaches the surface, it feeds into the chalk streams.
Around 85% of all chalk streams in the world are in England, with a quarter of them thought to be in East Anglia.
Abstraction concerns
The Wilbraham River is a chalk stream that passes through Little Wilbraham before flowing into Quy water, Bottisham lock and then onto the River Cam.
On its website, the WPRS says the Wilbraham river chalk stream is one of the most endangered in the area and believes more abstraction for public water supply has reduced the groundwater level by up to three metres.
It says that because of this, the natural springs that feed the river stop, causing the whole river to dry up.
"This river runs through three sites of special scientific interest and a county wildlife site, so it's quite important," David said.
"Little Wilbraham Fen is a huge area which has rare plants, rare birds, and that will suffer if this river continues to dry up.
"At the moment, all the travel is in one direction; the climate's getting drier in the summer, it may rain in the winter but at the moment, any rain will go straight into the vegetation or evaporate and won't help the river."
What can be done to solve the problem?
The WPRS said it's working with other local river groups and the Environment Agency to find a solution.
David believes the current augmentation scheme - where groundwater is pumped from a chalk aquifer via a borehole to support river flow - needs improvement.
In fact, he said the WPRS has put in its own cameras to monitor which sections of the river dry up.
"The problem is the augmentation scheme has never really worked properly; monitoring is not very good," David said.
"There are issues about the augmentation that could be improved and that could help us in the short term keep more of the river in water.
"In the long term, it has to be a reduction of abstraction of water from the ground, or more intelligent abstraction."
What does the Government say?
The Government has promised to invest £1.8 million through its Water Restoration Fund and Water Environment Improvement Fund for locally-led chalk stream clean-up projects across affected regions.
It also plans to spend £104 billion in upgrading pipes and reducing sewage spills to help protect chalk streams.
“Chalk streams are an incredible source of national pride. As one of Britain’s most nature-rich habitats, they support some of our rarest wildlife," a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said.
“This government is delivering once-in-a-generation reform to the water industry, which includes immediate action to clean up chalk streams, securing £2bn of water company investment over the next five years to restore them.”