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River Cherwell

Alex Gowney

Alex Gowney

Senior Member & Supporter
I know this won't concern too many on here but we no longer have a Cherwell thread to post on. For those of you who are familiar with the river can anyone say why it is permanently coloured, even in periods of near drought? This seems to be particular to the spring and summer river, winter it's normal winter green colour.

I fished it at the start of the season when the weather was very hot and dry and it was tea coloured. Again yesterday, though we have had some rain. It's been like it for a while now but seems ok in and above Banbury. Two years ago I rang the EA and was promised someone would get back to me, but of course they didn't. The guy I spoke to said it was maybe because the river runs through an agricultural valley! I was somewhat taken aback by this answer, for one thing, the river always has run through an agricultural valley, it hasn't suddenly changed course! Also, I was struggling to think of a river that didn't!

My initial thought was the haulage yard at Kings Sutton, Cherwell Valley Silos, was responsible but I can't see how this can have an impact all the time, and why only in summer? Equally strange on my recent trips is the very reduced crayfish activity. In June I fished 4 hours plus with meat and not a single tap from a cray. Or a fish I might add. Two trips this week, using bread, meat and pellets, a total of three indications from crays. Is whatever is colouring the river putting them off too? Anyone got any thoughts?
 
As soon as I read this I thought...the Silos's at Kings Sutton, they do waste coffee products there and turn into animal feed. In fact my wife's Dad used to be a manager at the Farm, and I used to stay there and do a bit of fishing in the river and canal.

The River was packed with quality fish...such a shame the river is in such a state.

In those days, there were 'mountains' of waste coffee products on the farm, uncovered and were bound to leach into the water courses.
 
Has the agricultural land use changed much in recent years Alex? In particular is there notibly more maize being grown ? I know some areas have a big increase in maize growth due to demand for AD units.
 
Joe, not to my knowledge, it's much as it's ever been, mainly cattle.

Dave, it could be I guess, but I know very little about that so couldn't say.

Neil, I know you are familiar with the river around Kings Sutton, I wasn't aware of the amount of processing going on there. That to me moves them to the top of the list as probable culprits. I still don't know why it only seems bad in summer, or why it's only been in recent years. Do you know how long the silos have been there? It would explain also why Banbury upwards is unaffected. Maybe the extra volume of water in winter and less weed growth clear the river quicker. I'm not sure if it harms the fish, it would appear not at least in winter when some half decent fishing is still possible. But it is still a river deteriorated beyond recognition which is very sad and whatever is causing the problem must be adding to the decline. And the crays don't seem to be keen on it either!
 
Dave Taylor said:
https://barbel.co.uk/site/vbulletin/forum/showthread.php?t=11069

I remember your concerns about the river Alex,... really sorry nothing appears to have changed. I still wonder if it's not eutrophication caused by nutrient overload.
Click to expand...

Just been reading all those old posts Dave, Simon and Mike adding similar concerns. Nothings changed but it would appear to be the official excuse that not enough water runs through it in the summer. Just what do the EA actually do to improve our rivers?
 
Just spent some time trying to dig up anything more recent on the river Alex, but all I get is the NRA and EA Action Plans ( wish lists) from years ago when it seems they were as keen to encourage otters to the river as to try and address its many environmental problems.
There must be more current data out there somewhere.
As I mentioned before, the Wey also suffered similar problems .
Water quality and quantity ( poor dilution) below Banbury have both been flagged up together as a problem on the Cherwell since '96 , and I can imagine that Banbury STW has to deal with substantially more effluent and industrial waste than 21 years ago!
It could be a change of agricultural practice upstream,... your guess is as good as mine? The EA biological boffins ought to know,... but they often seem to prefer to flag up the positives, ... perhaps I'm being too cynical.
 
Alex, you say that in the Winter its the colour it should be, that nice green colour so that would rule out a number of things.Do you think it could be dying off algae(increased in volume by farm fertilisers etc) from the canal system,being flushed into the river.The boat traffic would be heavy in the spring and summer compared to winter.Most canal systems go crystal clear in winter.My Family pond has a bottom drain and you would not believe the filth/smell that comes out every couple of days i pull it.The algae seems to dye off completly to a brown filth every time we get a couple of rainy days,then regrows with the Sunny days.In the winter the bottom drain runs clear,the algae does not grow in the winter.I used to fish at Shipton in the days when the river was alive with quality fish,sounds so sad.
 
Most of the suspended algae I've witnessed in our eutrophic uk rivers tend to be brownish in colour, ... there are umpteen species though. They just require some warmth, light and nutrients, like most instream plants. Besides the water turbidity they can create which in turn may reduce desirable crowfoots etc,.. they will also reduce available dissolved oxygen to other inhabitants.
By overloading the biomass with nutrients we create a perfect environment for them throughout the warmer months especially when coupled with low flows.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-and-eutrophication-risk-in-english-rivers

The link is long I'm afraid, and doesn't seem to mention abstraction which obviously further reduces levels.
 
Hi Alex
I would say that the Jacobs Douwe Egberts processing plant in Banbury and the King Sutton Silo’s a couple of miles downstream have to be the number 1 culprits. I did raise this in the previous thread on this subject a couple of years ago.
The said processing plant obviously dont give a sh*t about the air quality and stink adjacent to their plant, which I have to inhale most mornings while dropping intoTesco’s across the road, so I don’t think they would be to worried about what the waste products at the Silo’s are doing to the Cherwell.
We noticed in the early to mid 90s that there was a slight tinge in the water developing , which seemed to get progessively worse season by season. I have a friend in Kings Sutton who worked at the Silo’s for a few years, I shall have a word with him. Apparrently a lot of the waste is still stacked up outside close to the river,which causes a lot of leakage. There doesn’t seem to be a problem upstream from here, only downstream!!
The problem is definately worse in the summer. Chemistry wasn’t my best subject at school, but could the higher water temps and absorbancy, coupled with the reduced flow rates have something to do with it.
I fished the Cherwell after christmas, you would think it was a different river, it looked in superb condition, colour and flow. The crayfish were extremely active in the cold weather and so were the otters, the bank was littered with loads of crunched up crays and piles of otter spraints. Our furry friends do occasionally have their good uses!
Back to Jacobs Douwe Egberts. They have invested millions in that plant in the last few years and are probably Banbury’s biggest employer, perhaps the EA have been persuaded to turn a blind eye to their waste and environmental procedures!!! Which might explain why the EA never get back to you. Couldn’t imagine the residents Virginia Water having to put up with that stink every day!!!
Time for a coffee now, always Douwe Egberts by the way, and £2 a jar cheaper at PoundStretcher in Witney.
Mick
I’ll drop you a PM Alex
 
I fish the Cherwell at Water Eaton. The local farmer believes it is the coffee plant that colours the water.

There used to be a healthy population of Barbel but since the 2007 floods they have disappeared. Plenty of chub though and to good sizes.

It is still a lovely river to fish.

Kevin
 
Mark Swaby said:
Alex, you say that in the Winter its the colour it should be, that nice green colour so that would rule out a number of things.Do you think it could be dying off algae(increased in volume by farm fertilisers etc) from the canal system,being flushed into the river.The boat traffic would be heavy in the spring and summer compared to winter.Most canal systems go crystal clear in winter.My Family pond has a bottom drain and you would not believe the filth/smell that comes out every couple of days i pull it.The algae seems to dye off completly to a brown filth every time we get a couple of rainy days,then regrows with the Sunny days.In the winter the bottom drain runs clear,the algae does not grow in the winter.I used to fish at Shipton in the days when the river was alive with quality fish,sounds so sad.
Click to expand...

Good points Mark and I think they do contribute to the problem. In winter it looks like the Cherwell of old, in summer it's a disgrace.
 
Michael Foster said:
Hi Alex
I would say that the Jacobs Douwe Egberts processing plant in Banbury and the King Sutton Silo’s a couple of miles downstream have to be the number 1 culprits. I did raise this in the previous thread on this subject a couple of years ago.
The said processing plant obviously dont give a sh*t about the air quality and stink adjacent to their plant, which I have to inhale most mornings while dropping intoTesco’s across the road, so I don’t think they would be to worried about what the waste products at the Silo’s are doing to the Cherwell.
We noticed in the early to mid 90s that there was a slight tinge in the water developing , which seemed to get progessively worse season by season. I have a friend in Kings Sutton who worked at the Silo’s for a few years, I shall have a word with him. Apparrently a lot of the waste is still stacked up outside close to the river,which causes a lot of leakage. There doesn’t seem to be a problem upstream from here, only downstream!!
The problem is definately worse in the summer. Chemistry wasn’t my best subject at school, but could the higher water temps and absorbancy, coupled with the reduced flow rates have something to do with it.
I fished the Cherwell after christmas, you would think it was a different river, it looked in superb condition, colour and flow. The crayfish were extremely active in the cold weather and so were the otters, the bank was littered with loads of crunched up crays and piles of otter spraints. Our furry friends do occasionally have their good uses!
Back to Jacobs Douwe Egberts. They have invested millions in that plant in the last few years and are probably Banbury’s biggest employer, perhaps the EA have been persuaded to turn a blind eye to their waste and environmental procedures!!! Which might explain why the EA never get back to you. Couldn’t imagine the residents Virginia Water having to put up with that stink every day!!!
Time for a coffee now, always Douwe Egberts by the way, and £2 a jar cheaper at PoundStretcher in Witney.
Mick
I’ll drop you a PM Alex
Click to expand...

I agree Mike, it's the silos at Kings Sutton that are my main suspects. The Banbury processing plant which was known as GF has history of polluting the river. It was responsible for a big fish kill back in the early 80s that killed a lot of fish including some very big chub and barbel. I suppose, as Mark commented, that in winter increased flows clear it quicker. But it has got worse in the past few years. Interesting you say about the tinge of colour that was starting to appear through the 80s and 90s, I well remember taking a walk along the river at Steeple Aston in 1997 and it was the colour of beer.Still plenty of fish about though and you could still see them. I am also still surprised at the lack of caryfish activity this past week, maybe my bait is so poor even they don't want it :eek:
 
Kevin Plaskitt said:
I fish the Cherwell at Water Eaton. The local farmer believes it is the coffee plant that colours the water.

There used to be a healthy population of Barbel but since the 2007 floods they have disappeared. Plenty of chub though and to good sizes.

It is still a lovely river to fish.

Kevin
Click to expand...

Yes, the barbel seem to be a thing of the past now Kevin, sadly. Those floods affected 90% of the countries rivers it seems, with no real answer as to why.
 
Looking at the map the coffee plant is near to the Canal and there looks to be a stream that goes through the factory towards the canal,could 30 plus years of coffee waste going into the canal from that stream be a cause.The stain would have been distributed by the boats down the length of the canal and stirred up in the summer.When the boats are not running in the winter, the canal goes clear and the river would then run clean?.We used to fish Shipton in the 80's/90's and the canal was rarely used in the winter. If it was the silos would the same stain not be there in the winter,unless they go unused in winter.Rivers have been low for years and should the stain not be there with low flow in winter.
 
Put this up a few years ago when topic was raised.....
http://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/news/muddy-waters-stretch-for-miles-down-river-cherwell-1-5304709
If you search through endless scanned online PDF River Authority management plans going back over 20 years, somewhere you will find reference to the then, Kraft coffee plant, which points out that the waste product was difficult to remove before entering the river but was thought not to provide a threat.

Marks comments re boat traffic turbidity were also mentioned as well as the Cherwell being extremely susceptible to eutrophic algae blooms.
Sounds like not much has changed.
 
Dave Taylor said:
Put this up a few years ago when topic was raised.....
http://www.banburyguardian.co.uk/news/muddy-waters-stretch-for-miles-down-river-cherwell-1-5304709
If you search through endless scanned online PDF River Authority management plans going back over 20 years, somewhere you will find reference to the then, Kraft coffee plant, which points out that the waste product was difficult to remove before entering the river but was thought not to provide a threat.

Marks comments re boat traffic turbidity were also mentioned as well as the Cherwell being extremely susceptible to eutrophic algae blooms.
Sounds like not much has changed.
Click to expand...

Sadly it has changed Dave, for the worse :( It often carried a dark tinge but the colour these days is how it used to be after a weeks rain.
 
Morning guys...while since I last posted but I'll give my take on the Cherwell.

The river is just down the road from me in Kidlington and I fish it nearly every week and walk it everyday with my dog. There's no doubting it has changed a lot in the last 30 years but I've only ever known it for the last 15 and to be honest its not that bad a small river.

Regarding the colour it carries now I don't think there is a definitive answer, well at least the EA can't give us one as it contradicts the way they allow the river to be used as a resource.

What you have to look at is what as changed that can effect the colour of the river and when you do its hardly surprising its ended up this way. thing is not allowing it to get any worst, which could possibly happen.

A few years back me and CG74...(remember him Terry) looked in to this in great depth, we spent a lot of time corresponding with the EA and the canals and rivers trust and ultimately Cherwell district council.

This was all brought about by the planning of an extremely large marina (160 plus births) at Yarnton on the Oxford canal. Now being a match angler as well I fish the canal a lot around oxford and I'm fully aware of the heavy traffic it suffers from and it has been getting worst for the last 20 years.

So we looked at the planning and knew it only meant one thing...more boats on the canal, more lock movements and a lot less water in the river...basically what little water there is can go 2 ways river or canal. A small group of us fought the planning despite EA approval and canals and rivers trust backing. We went right to the top of the canals and rivers trust hydrology and what we heard rom them was basically stuff you...we can do it so we will, which is based on ancient industrial rights , not leisure needs.

So we pressured the EA to back us and eventually the fisheries did, this was based on the WFD classification of the river which meant it was already stressed with low summer flows and the marina would make it worst. The EA fair does to them wrote a letter to Cherwell district council and stated that the river cannot keep having water taken out of it to ascertain the WFD status as "good". So an EU directive being stuck to was our only chance, the council were starting to see it that way and with the EA backing the planning application was removed. The Field is now solar panels!

What did we take from this? well basically its a bit late, Marinas have been built all through the oxford canal and the boat traffic is very heavy in the summer months. The commercial interests of using the canal were left unchecked/unnoticed for too long and the loser was the Cherwell. Thing is all these marina's could have been stopped as its clear the council planners would have to back the EA regarding the WFD classification of the river.

I think the lack of water in the summer is the major part that has highlighted the poor farming practices that now go on through the valley. Arable farming as increased greatly and the fertilizers used are ultimately flowing into the river causing the algae blooms/eutrophication.

like I said I still fish the river regularly and last year I was fortunate to catch 4 barbel up to 8lb 12oz, I know these are most likely stockies from approx. 6/7 years ago but it shows they can survive in the river still, just probably never spawn successfully with the state it's in know.

On the plus side, like Alex said...where are the crayfish, every where I go locally there seems to be very few of them...hope that continues!:)
 
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