Can you help with local rivers and streams?

Can you help with local rivers and streams?

Can you help with Cranleigh’s local rivers and streams?  

The next training meeting is at Snoxhall, 10am Monday 20 November.  Please join in and find out how you can get involved.  Best to take wellies and be prepared to get into the water.  Also make sure you can see small creatures.

News

Surrey Wildlife Trust staff member Joshua Bowes and colleagues have been working for some years to have the time and money to re-wild a section of waterway in Cranleigh.  It is near the canal off the Elmbridge Road.  In Cranleigh recently they have completed this river restoration project located here

They have reprofiled some of the bank, allowed more light in, introduced over 30 tonnes of gravel, narrowed the channel and re-wiggled.  These actions will enable many beneficial things to happen, such as slowing the water when it is deep and creating habitats for creatures that have been lost.

There will be some balsam removal sessions there next year for which help will be needed.

There has been some interest from local land owners too so watch this space for further restorations! Hopefully we can get volunteers involved too.

We have received a grant from local councillor to buy some new water test equipment for everyone.   You can view the kit here.

As well as some refill packs. These kits will allow you to test a wider ranger of parameters and feed into a wider group.

Our local Surrey Wildlife Trust Wetland Officer Joshua Bowes will be organising training day as well to test out these kits. The next date is 10 am Monday 20th November at Snoxhall fields.  please reply if you hope to join in – it will great to see you.

 

Flooding threats – how is Cranleigh now?

Flooding threats – how is Cranleigh now?

As the rain finally comes to quench the earth’s thirst, how are you finding our infrastructure?

Write in and let Cranleigh Society know how it is for you please.  membership@cranleighsociety.org or simply write in the comment box below this post.

The photo shows flooding in Cranleigh in the winter of 2013.  Since then hundreds of dwellings have been built and a great deal of land that mopped up and gently allowed water to drain over time has gone for dwellings.  New People are welcome and we wish them very well especially regarding where the rain goes.

The waterways of Cranleigh are famous for bringing life to the village and its plants and animals. But people are only keen if it goes where they let it.  Rivers and streams naturally meander, finding their own way down, creating habitats along the way, so if people have overdeveloped it’s no wonder the water interferes with our lives.  Flooding of course goes away and if people are careful it causes inconvenience only.  Cranleigh is at the bottom of many hills and so it’s obvious that water finds its way here sometimes surging down the roads as they are easy routes.  Once it gets to housing it can be a problem and go into buildings. It can fill up drains and cause sewage to emerge in people’s homes.

Is there anything we can do? 

People have a duty to help water find its way down – so if you have ditches, streams, rivers as part of land you own, you must keep it clear of rubbish and let nature take its course.   Surrey County Council want us all to take care of our ditches – here is a leaflet saying how.

Do you have a watercourse, such as a ditch, stream or river running through, or alongside, your property? If so, you are probably responsible for its maintenance and in legal terms you are a ‘riparian owner’.

Riparian Ownership DiagramAre you a riparian owner?

If you have an ordinary watercourse or a main river running through your land or along the boundary of your property, you are likely to be the riparian owner or joint riparian owner; unless the watercourse is known to be owned by someone else. If the land on the other side of the watercourse is not in your ownership you are presumed to be the joint riparian owner together with the landowner on the other side. In the case of joint riparian ownership each party is presumed to own up to the centre line of the watercourse and therefore is responsible up to this point. If you are unsure whether you are the riparian owner of the watercourse running through your land, check the title deeds of your property.

Your rights

  1. To receive a flow of water in its natural state, without undue interference in quantity or quality;
  2. To protect your property against flooding from the watercourse and to prevent erosion of the watercourse banks or any nearby structures;
  3. You usually have the right to fish in your watercourse however you must use legal methods and may need a rod licence;
  4. Without an environmental permit, you can abstract a maximum of 20 cubic metres of water per day for the domestic purposes of your own household or for agricultural use (excluding spray irrigation). Most other types of abstraction will require a licence from the Environment Agency.

Your responsibilities

  1. You have the responsibility to pass on flow without obstruction, pollution or diversion affecting the rights of others;
  2. To maintain the banks and bed of the watercourse (including any trees and shrubs growing on the banks) and any flood defences that exist on it;
  3. To maintain any approved structures on your stretch of the watercourse. These may include culverts, trash screens, weirs and mill gates;
  4. You must not build a new structure (for example, a bridge or boardwalk) that encroaches upon the watercourse or alters the flow of water without first obtaining permission from Surrey County Council or the Environment Agency.

Map of asbestos pipes in Cranleigh, 01-Feb-17

 

Can you help with local rivers and streams?

What is Water Neutrality and How Can Councils adopt a robust policy?

WATER NEUTRALITY and EVERYONE’S WATER FOOTPRINT

 Water is an essential natural resource and the world’s freshwater supply is shown to be gradually decreasing year by year. Environment agencies and institutions have started to explore the concept and process of Water Neutrality as people across the globe begin to recognise the importance of their water footprint. It is a possible solution to reduce water usage and encourage positive actions within communities.

MAINTAIN THE BALANCE OF WATER USES AND REPLACEMENTS FOR EVERY DEVELOPMENT, TOWN AND VILLAGE, EVERY PERSON

Water neutrality is the process whereby communities and institutions maintain a balance in their water usage by investing and funding projects that help to increase freshwater supply and reduce water usage. The development of a water neutral project will not add pressure to the overall water demand of a region. It will eventually have a net-zero impact on natural water supplies.

Water neutrality will become a necessary requirement for all developments in the future as the existing water supply in the world decreases. After a new development is constructed the total water demand should be the same as it was before the development was started.

There are 3 steps to achieving water neutrality:

  1. Reduce water usage
  2. Reuse water
  3. Offset water

Reducing water usage – Efficient water devices for taps, toilets, urinals, showers and other appliances such as low flush systems. Smart meters can indicate to consumers how much they are using and whether there are any leaks.

Reusing and recycling water – Rainwater harvesting systems from roofs, which can either be on an individual dwelling basis or for whole new developments. Grey water recycling from showers, etc which can be used again but requires a separate set of pipes and drains.  Black water recycling is usually the water recycled from toilets which needs to go through several treatment processes.

Offsetting water – Funding water efficiency audits. Retrofitting houses, schools and public buildings to enhance water efficiency.

It is estimated that a water neutral home could save about 112,000 litres of water per year and around 43.8 kg of carbon emissions produced from the water supply. A home might reduce water and energy bills by approx. £44 per year. It also is good for the environment as it reduces the amount of water taken from rivers, lakes and groundwater sources.

Gatwick Sub Regional Water Cycle Study

Water neutrality is not currently defined in legislation but is drawn from the Gatwick Sub Regional Water Cycle Study which states that ‘For every new development, total water use in the Sussex North Water Supply Zone after the development must be equal or less than the total water use in the region before the new development.’  Southern Water’s Sussex North Water Supply Zone is the first area in the country to apply this requirement. However, water neutrality will increasingly be necessary in other areas as demand for new housing is implemented. The Environment Agency has produced a list of areas which are subject to serious water stress. This covers many water companies in the Midlands and in the South East, including Thames Water which serves the Cranleigh area.

The Environment Agency

The Environment Agency has concluded that water neutrality will become a key factor in balancing the Government’s policy of delivering an accelerated rate of housing growth against constraints on the current and future availability of water resources. Achieving 100% level of water neutrality is an aspiration and it may not be possible or appropriate to set such a demanding target. Drivers and constraints are likely to be applied which will result in a lower %.

Nutrient neutrality and water neutrality are separate issues

Nutrient neutrality and water neutrality are separate issues with different causes but both effectively create a moratorium on new development. The Local Government Association has established guidelines to tackle both of these problems. Cleaning up our water courses is a crucial issue and is the responsibility of both the water companies who are still discharging raw sewage into rivers on a regular basis and the farming industry which will need to be given better guidance on the use of fertilisers and livestock practice in areas affected by nutrient neutrality.

ACTION REQUIRED

The level of action required to address water supply issues can be summarised as follows:

Water Companies – Reduce leaks, provide infrastructure to increase supply and to change practices to reduce demand for water.

Industry and agriculture – Change practices to reduce demand for water.

Owners of existing homes and buildings – Change practices to reduce demand for water.

Developers – Build to the highest standard of water efficiency.

In conclusion, we as individuals or through pressure groups, must continue to press our Local and District Councillors for the introduction of both nutrient neutrality and water neutrality in their Planning Policies so that improvements can be made in coming years for the benefit of future generations.

Reference sources:

Sigma Earth water neutrality and how it can be achieved

https://sigmaearth.com/water-neutrality-how-can-it-be-achieved/

Environment Agency 

http://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/water-neutrality

West Sussex Council

westsussex.gov.uk/media/17040/ne_positionstatement.pdf

Local Government  

https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/stuck-neutral-call-partnership

Cranleigh Society wishes you a Happy New Year – keep your strength up!

Cranleigh Society wishes you a Happy New Year – keep your strength up!

Good morning

– what a blustery day – the weather was generated far away a few weeks ago as temperatures in the South Pacific warmed unusually – La Nina rocked its way across the Americas – producing their extreme weather and we have the tail end of it!

Flooding

Meanwhile in Little Ol’ Cranleigh we have floods and water running down roads. Elmbridge Road, Alfold Road, High Street + Church Lane, Barhatch Road – to name a few. Our pavements get flooded so easily we can’t walk along the High street without getting drenched by passing cars and trying to cross at official crossing points!   What’s it all about? Can it all be fixed?  Can you help to find out and to tackle those who could spend the time and money fixing it all?  Do comment below, get in touch.

Blocked drains – Surrey Highways

Please keep reporting drain blockages to Surrey Highways.  click the link here    

If you think the issue is an immediate risk to public safety please call Surrey County Council anytime, day or night on:

0300 200 1003

Cranleigh Society meetings

On Wednesday the team and some other welcome friends enjoyed a gathering in the Three Horseshoes Snug bar – it being the 4th Wednesday in the month – from 6 till 8 ish, including nice food.   Topics included the water issues, the broken bridge and of course Knowle Lane.

DUNSFOLD access road (it’s a separate planning issue to any housing project)

Turned to the request by Dunsfold to chip into ideas for a name for their new access road – a straight road off the main A281.  many ideas came up – some unrepeatable here!

The Rutland Group have publicly invited suggestions for names for the new access road to the proposed new build on the airfield. The road and roundabout are currently in advanced construction. The access road aligns with the existing main runway.  If you would like to say your ideas click the link here  

Suggestions from the group:

Hangar Straight – self-evident

Hawker Way – the main employer in the post war years

Harrier Way – the vertical take-off and landing ‘jump jet’ built and flown from here.

Hunter Drive – the Hawker Hunter built and flown from here including the gaining of the World Speed Record by Neville Duke on 7 September 1953, the modified first prototype broke the world air speed record for jet-powered aircraft, achieving a speed of 727.63 mph (1,171.01 km/h; 632.29 kn)

Skyways Drive – Skyways was a private airline post the Berlin Airlift that had an aircraft maintenance base at Dunsfold

Eisenhower Avenue – Shortly before D-Day, on 18 April 1944, General Eisenhower, then Allied Supreme Commander, visited Dunsfold, presumably to give a pre-D-Day morale talk.

Cunningham Way – John ‘Cats-eyes’ Cunningham, the renowned WW2 night fighter ace crashed on take-off on 20 November 1975 due to a multiple bird strike. Tragically 6 car occupants on the A281 were killed. All survived on the aircraft.

On that cheery note – let’s get back to why we are writing today – wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year.

very best wishes from

The Team – you know who we are!

 

Cranleigh Society meeting & AGM 7pm Band room 7th December 2022

Cranleigh Society meeting & AGM 7pm Band room 7th December 2022

Cranleigh Society public meeting & AGM   7pm Band room 7th December 2022

Dear Members and followers

We invite you to join us on Wednesday 7th December 2022

We will provide refreshments and time to chat, and look at our displays before giving presentations.

News updates include

Cranleigh Heritage Cottage Hospital – now known as Napper Cottage project. Members will be asked to vote.

Planning issues

Cranleigh’s waterways and rivers health report, flooding risks; Riparian duties of all those with ditches etc.

Updates regarding infrastructure and services

Councils’ update including Leisure Centre and High Street Changes

Committee business and members’ votes

We look forward to seeing you,

Please let us know if you are coming

The Team

Meet Thames Water – 28 Nov 7pm Cranleigh Village Hall

Thames Water and Councillor Liz Townsend will be in Cranleigh Village Hall on 28th November at 7pm. Thames will come armed with answers to your questions we hope!!!

Our worries about flooding, drought, sewage in homes, sewage in waterways, water supply, burst water mains, replacement asbestos cement water pipes continue

Our councillor Liz Townsend and Thames Water invite you to bring your real stories and questions to us now.

Getting ready to cope with heavy rains and possible flooding

It’s hard to believe flooding could come back, what with the drought and the desiccated gardens despite the rain – dig down a little and there’s just no water!  But should we get ready, just in case?  If so how?   Surrey County Council have a Community Resilience Team and one of their jobs is to find answers to residents’ questions about what to do about flooding. They inform and attend Flood Forums and try to help but there are several agencies with different jobs and responsibilities.  This makes it difficult for us residents. Recently we attended a meeting called Surrey Flood Action Groups Forum with several other Flood forums in Surrey and found out how they have managed to get improvements in their areas.  Some of their stories are hard to listen to as you might imagine, but not worse than Cranleigh’s.

Cranleigh village hall 28th November 2022 7pm agenda

  1. Welcome
  2. Introductions
  3. Report on interruptions in water supply
  4. Delays in compensation payments and underpayments
  5. Update on leaks in local network
  6. Local network replacement programme and timeline
  7. Investment in wider network and timeline
  8. Sewage discharge into local watercourses
  9. Upgrades to sewage treatment works
  10. Any Other Business

Please send in your questions as soon as you can so that Thames Water’s staff can find some answers and be forewarned of issues we have.

We will see you then

best regards

the team