COMPLETION OF THE DARENT ACTION PLAN, Spring 2013
Westminster Mill, 2013 (see below in 1996)
The Darent Action Plan, a multimillion pound project to help safeguard the river, is now completed. However, that is far from the end of the story. Local communities must stay vigilant to ensure best outcomes for the river. The meeting on April 2013 recorded a vote of thanks to the three speakers. They are Jamie Riches of Thames Water, Chris Topping and Frank Heeley of the Environment Agency. These speakers are good friends of DRiPS and have kept us informed throughout the years. To see the EA presentation, click here. To read the Thames Water presentation, click here
Question time : The main topic was the European Water Framework Directive. (WFD) and how it could affect the Darent. This is a very complex directive and it is difficult to understand how the Darent should be treated the same as all European rivers, as it is such a fragile chalk stream. No two rivers are the same and each river needs different solutions to its problems. We look forward to taking part in the next stage of the planning process in the Darent and Cray Catchment Improvement Groups and investigating the possibility for building fish passes where necessary.
There is a great deal for us to do if our river is to be strong and vibrant for all to enjoy in the future. We will of course need the support of you all. Looking back at 2013, we remember the Annual Meeting closed with a toast to the River Darent and the completion of the Darent Action Plan.
Question time : The main topic was the European Water Framework Directive. (WFD) and how it could affect the Darent. This is a very complex directive and it is difficult to understand how the Darent should be treated the same as all European rivers, as it is such a fragile chalk stream. No two rivers are the same and each river needs different solutions to its problems. We look forward to taking part in the next stage of the planning process in the Darent and Cray Catchment Improvement Groups and investigating the possibility for building fish passes where necessary.
There is a great deal for us to do if our river is to be strong and vibrant for all to enjoy in the future. We will of course need the support of you all. Looking back at 2013, we remember the Annual Meeting closed with a toast to the River Darent and the completion of the Darent Action Plan.
Westminster MILL 1996 and THE EA ACCOUNT OF REVITALISING THE RIVER DARENT 2004 Westminster Mill 1996
This picture of Westminster Mill was taken in 1996.
A comprehensive summary of work carried out by the Environment Agency, entitled Revitalising The River Darent was released on a DVD in 2004, complete with embedded video clips. The video format is no longer supported inside a pdf, but we have reformatted them and they are available from DRiPS. The rest of the document, which is extensive and very informative, can be read by clicking on these 3 links. Part1 - pages 1-39 Part2 - pages 40-90 Part3 - pages 91-135 |
NRA Report 1992
In 1992 the National Rivers Authority (predecessor to the Environment Agency) commissioned Mott McDonald to study the Darent and published a joint report.
Read it here 
WATER ABSTRACTION report 2007 In 2005 the EA invited stakeholders in the Darent and Cray to cooperate on a comprehensive management review of water abstraction. The team included Alan Williams, William Alexander and Steve Crowley. To read the EA report from 2007 about the Catchment Management Plans for the Darent and Cray click here. |
BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
To watch a British Geological Society video that explains the importance of aquifers, click here
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The Darent Action plan update 2005 and 2013
In 2005, the Environment Agency commissioned a later study which led to a further series of recommendations for a strategy to preserve the River Darent.
To download the report in pdf format, click here for Volume 1 and click here for Volume 2 In January 2013, the EA announced they hoped to finalise the DAP and were negotiating changes to the abstraction licenses, as described here. |
