Greater Cambridge Local Plan Issues & Options 2020

The Wilbraham River Protection Society was founded in 1997 to safeguard the Wilbraham River and its dependent flora and fauna for future generations. It seeks to work with the relevant statutory authorities, riparian landowners, environmental bodies and the Wildlife Trust to identify the main causes of decline of the river and its wildlife, and to take action with them to: a) plan a co-ordinated maintenance programme and b) restore the aquatic flora and fauna. For a long time the Society has been deeply concerned about low river flows and dry river beds during summer months, despite the Lodes/Granta water augmentation scheme in place to compensate for the increased levels of abstraction from the underlying chalk aquifer for public water supply. It is aware of the wider concern for the River Cam catchment area highlighted in the River Cam Manifesto published in 2019. The Wilbraham River, as a chalk stream, feeds into the Cam near Bottisham Lock, passing by Anglesey Abbey on the way. The recent drier weather has led to dry river beds in the winter months when it would be expected that the springs feeding the river would maintain an increased flow level throughout the river system. This has been particularly marked over the last two years despite the continued pumping through the augmentation scheme which is designed to maintain water levels in the Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Fulbourn and Wilbraham. Though the SSSI may be in part protected from the worst effects of the drier weather the combination of the dryness caused by the changing climate with high levels of abstraction could undermine the laudable objective to ‘Double Nature’ in the area. The Society therefore believes that serious consideration should be given to providing an alternative/additional source of public water supply and so allow the chalk aquifer to recharge and continue to supply water to the springs that feed the river system before proposing increased levels of population growth and economic activity. It is recognised that this might mean requesting the Environment Agency to review the relevant licences for water abstraction to seek reduced levels of abstraction from the aquifer underlying the river catchment area.

Summary of Comments: The Wilbraham River Protection Society is concerned about the effects of the drier climate and the level of water abstraction from the chalk aquifer that feeds the river system on the health of the river and its associated flora and fauna. It maintains that serious consideration should be given to providing alternative/additional sources of public water supply so as to allow the aquifer to recharge and continue to supply the springs that feed the river before embarking on increased levels of population and economic growth.

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