The Darent
Taking Action
Securing the future
A bold new solution has been proposed which offers hope for the long-term health of the River Darent by delivering a major improvement in flows.
The solution is potentially faster and comes at vastly reduced cost compared to current water company plans. Click here to access the report.
It would enable the volume of water in the river to return to ecologically viable levels and restore the characteristic features of our precious chalk stream.
Thames Water are investigating the feasibility of the proposal.
Help us reach our target
Please help us raise £20,000 to fund this vital report and continue to work on measures to secure the health of the Darent into the future. Already, we have achieved two-thirds of this target.
Donations can be made directly to Nat West Bank, Account Name Darent River Preservation Society, Sort Code 60-19-02, Account Number 71582894. Please use Darent Action as a reference.
Balancing demands
How can we safeguard the future of the Darent in the face of increasing demand for water and the impact of climate change? This is a question that is constantly discussed within DRiPS. Year by year, it becomes ever more urgent, particularly after a summer like the one we just had.
The problem is that the chalk aquifers which feed and sustain the river are the same ones used by water companies to supply water to homes and businesses across the area and beyond.
Can we meet people’s need for water without putting the river in peril?
The Darent, and its largest tributary the Cray, are among the most heavily abstracted rivers in the country. It means that water levels in the two rivers are a shadow of what they used to be in the past.
Although there is much goodwill around to preserve the fate of globally important chalk streams – as well as growing interest in preserving the rights of the river – action and urgency are missing. For example, the commitment by water companies to reduce abstraction from the river is not due to be in place until 2050 and is projected to cost several billion pounds in replacement sources. We are concerned this is likely to be too little and too late.
This year, together with our partners the South East Rivers Trust (SERT) and Darent Valley Trout Fishers (DVTF), we sought to identify a new action plan for the Darent which could ensure the future supply of water to homes and businesses without putting the Darent in peril.
We therefore commissioned consultant water engineer and hydrologist John Lawson to investigate the feasibility of reducing water abstraction and restoring natural flow to the Darent and Cray rivers. His background in the water industry can be seen here.
What’s our solution?
At most times in most years, there’s enough water in London’s rivers and reservoirs to supply the Darent and Cray areas.
So why not use London supplies to replace Darent supplies whenever possible? Then the aquifers in the Darent and Cray region could be used as storage reservoirs in droughts instead of as baseload suppliers.
This is the basis of John Lawson’s solution, which has been developed and tested through detailed research and modelling. His report proposes a fast and low-cost re-naturalisation of flows in the Rivers Darent and Cray by using existing Darent-Cray supplies in conjunction with supplies from London.
The concept – called conjunctive use – is similar to a smaller Darent-London conjunctive use scheme proposed in the 1990s but not significantly used.
Essentially, London rivers and reservoirs would supply the Darent-Cray area during most of the year via an enlarged pipe network connecting the Darent Valley to the London ring main. The natural storage in Darent and Cray groundwater aquifers would only be used during droughts – thereby improving the resilience of the public water system.
Modelling shows that, with the proposed conjunctive use scheme, river flows would be almost completely restored to natural levels at most times. During droughts, river flows would be lower than natural, but still far above the flows that currently occur in droughts. There would be minimal effect on London’s supplies, because the Darent supply from London would not be used in droughts. There would be no need for water from any major new resource schemes.
The Darent-London conjunctive use scheme would require a new connection between existing London supplies and the Darent-Cray valleys (a connection that would also be needed in the water companies’ current plans). Developed in phases, the scheme could be operational within about 10 years, possibly starting earlier with a pilot scheme.
Action is needed now
It’s widely recognised in government that significant expenditure is needed to manage the country’s water resources better to ensure reliable supply in the face of climate change while also leaving water in the environment to sustain rivers and wildlife. This has seen plans for new reservoirs gaining momentum, but unfortunately current prospects for the Darent and the Cray indicate little improvement before 2050 and fall far short of restoring natural flows.
Our report has been timed to coincide with what is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for major improvement, recognising that more resilient water supplies are needed. We want to make sure it is not wasted. The solution that has been developed is faster and less costly to offer a major improvement in flows at a vastly reduced cost.
Once-in-a-generation opportunity
If feasible, the development of the Darent-London conjunctive use scheme would be a triumph for the water industry, enabling quick repair of long-standing and notorious environmental damage to the two chalk rivers, combined with several billion pounds of cost saving through avoidance of need for major new infrastructure elsewhere.
We have shared the report (which you can read here) with water companies and regulators as well as the Environment Agency and are currently involved in presentations and meetings. We will keep you informed on progress.
What’s the next step?
We are working with our partners to maintain momentum on discovering the feasibility of this solution with the water companies, Environment Agency and the regulator.
To do so effectively, we need further funds. Please help. Contributions will be very gratefully received and can be made to Darent River Preservation Society, Sort Code 60-19-02, Account number 71582894 using Darent Action as a reference.
Did you know?
The rivers Darent and Cray are among the most heavily abstracted rivers in the country.
Thanks to our partners and sponsors
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