Water levels along the Bourne Eau

The Lincolnshire Free Press, Tuesday 14th January 1992

Both the Bourne Eau in South Street and St Peter's Pool dry up completely during prolonged dry spells and the continued extraction of water from underground sources around Bourne has always been blamed as a major factor by our local councillors and the townspeople. One of the worst examples occurred in January 1992 when the situation brought a dramatic condemnation from Bourne Town Council which issued an appeal to the water authority to "stop draining the town dry".

Councillor Peter Garner told the Lincolnshire Free Press (Tuesday 14th January 1992): "We have got to start fighting for our environment. The town council has got to lead the way and even take legal advice over whether Anglian Water can take our water for commercial gain. They are sucking Bourne dry. Water is basic to this town and without the Eau and the Wellhead, the settlement of Bourne would not exist. The fact that we have a drought does not mean that we should lose our amenities. Anglian Water should not be pumping so near the town centre and the Wellhead. If the water table beneath Bourne continues to fall, trees in the town will die and in the long run there could be a risk of subsidence."

Other councillors were equally incensed. The mayor, Councillor Ray Cliffe, told the newspaper: "The heritage of Bourne has been taken away and we want it back", while Councillor John Kirkman said that he found the situation "most upsetting" and had been told by the NRA that remedial work was being investigated but the solution was a matter of money. "This is totally unacceptable", he said. "A scheme has been produced to replace water in the River Slea at Sleaford and I can see no reason why a similar scheme should not be produced for the Bourne Eau."

The complaints were accepted by the NRA whose environmental manager, Bill Forbes, said: "I know there has been disquiet about the lack of flow in the Bourne Eau but this is due to a combination of abstraction and the worst drought this century." But he added that the river was not on the list of those which would have their flow supplemented.

The National Rivers Authority which existed between 1989 and 1996 issued licences for the abstraction of water but this is now the responsibility of the Environment Agency of England and Wales. But the current situation affecting St Peter's Pool and the Bourne Eau is similar to that of twenty years ago and has again brought protests from townspeople who are blaming the drought conditions of last summer coupled with the continued extraction of water to supply a wider catchment area.

But Anglian Water, which is directly responsible for our water supplies, insists that it is not to blame. A spokesman told The Local newspaper (2nd September 2011) that they did pump water from aquifers below the town, including the Bourne Eau, but added: "The drying up of the pool is not related to our water abstraction. Instead, it is likely to be a natural phenomenon. Groundwater levels will typically be low at this time and will be lower this year due to the cold, dry winter and exceptionally dry spring. The water we borrow from the environment comes from a mixture of rivers and boreholes. In Bourne, the groundwater from our boreholes is taken out of naturally occurring underground stores some 40 metres beneath the surface. We continually monitor all our water sources to ensure they are used in a sustainable way."

This all sounds very plausible but Bourne has been a water bonanza from the earliest times. In 1894, for instance, one borehole alone was sunk to a record depth of 134 feet to supply five million gallons of water a day which was then piped over a distance of ten miles to supply the Spalding area. By 1969, there were 130 boreholes at various points around the town which shows how this valuable natural resource has been exploited and although most of these have now been sealed, all remaining sources are administered by Anglian Water.

The current situation in Bourne is similar to that in many other parts of England and was recently highlighted by The Sunday Times which stated quite categorically that our rivers are being diminished as utility companies drain billions of gallons from vulnerable waterways to service a soaring demand (18th September 2011). This wholesale extraction of water has caused many to shrink and stagnate, putting wildlife at risk, killing fish and reducing some tributaries to puddles.

Authorities such as Anglian Water pay for licences at each of the sites where they drain from a river or aquifer and all claim that they are operating at below agreed levels although the terms of many of these permits were set decades ago and are currently being reviewed in an attempt to address the worst cases of over-abstraction.

Environmentalists are therefore calling for the licences of the worst offenders to be revoked. Other measures such as reducing consumption by the compulsory installation of water meters in all households and the repair of leaking pipes may help but the building of new reservoirs appears to be the answer. In the meantime, there can be no doubt that water usage during dry spells causes problems because supplies are not being replenished from natural sources and if it were not being extracted from our aquifers and waterways at such an alarming rate, then it is quite obvious that St Peter's Pool and the Bourne Eau would be in a much healthier condition than they are today.

PHOTO ALBUM
Water levels along the Bourne Eau in South Street dropped dramatically during the winter of 1991-92, exposing the bottom covered rubbish and turning the picturesque waterway into an eyesore. Members of the town council were so angry that they challenged Anglian Water over its continued extraction from underground sources claiming that it was "draining the town dry". There have been many similar occurrences since, particularly during the winter of 2011-12 when St Peter's Pool dried up completely yet the water authority has continued to deny responsibility.
In the autumn of 2011, the Bourne Eau along South Street dried up, a regular occurrence during summers with very low rainfall although continued extraction by Anglian Water is seen by many as a major contributory cause.

 

REVISED JANUARY 2012

 

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