RIVER NEWS

This page shows information for the Environment Agency and Sussex University about our stretch of the River - Boldings Brook, the River Arun and their confluence.
FOR POLLUTION INCIDENTS - PLEASE SCROLL DOWN


Fallen Tree Removal by the Environment Agency - photos 20th and 21st June 2012
Floods on 11th June 2012
Pollution Incidents December 2011 and March 2012, summer/autumn 2013 and October 2013 


Fallen Tree Removal by the Environment Agency June 2012

After heavy rainfall in previous days,  Boldings Brook overtopped its banks in a few places on 25th April 2012 and a large oak on the river bank was blown over in severe North Easterly gales in the early hours of 26th April 2012

26th April 2012 13.03 - the mighty old oak blown over, with roots and main trunk wedged in the river,

Boldings Brook, with the branches landing on new riverside floodplain

 planting on the development site.

 Water was flowing fast and the tree did not cause much damming.

TREE REPORT to EA 26.04.2012 Ref: 984 550

21st June 2012 - the Environment Agency making a start on the branches

Moving in to crane a huge branch across the river

Hauling out of the river

More going onto the huge pile of branches on the bank

Pause for thought.....

Hope it doesn't fall back into the river!

Only (!) the root and trunk to get out now

Most of the root has gone, now just a small piece - the trunk - to do

Don't worry about the bars, they are to keep us out, not to keep them in!

It does look more like the Amazon jungle than West Sussex - however as a specialist

in the study of invertebrates told me - West Sussex is the Rainforest of the southeast

with a huge diversity of invertebrates present in the county.

A sad story, this oak could have lasted another 100 years but the combination of the uncommon NE gales and swiftly flowing water and high river levels shortened its natural life.

As soon as the main work was finished a start was made on something new.....

A very comfortable seat, complete with owl - a memorial to a mighty oak,

overlooking where the tree fell on the river that stormy night in April created by the Environment Agency expert, just using a chainsaw

Now three massive oak toadstools stand where the tree fell, watching over the river - and soon the river bank grasses and wild flowers will grow up amongst them.

Both the seat and toadstools were the work of the Environment Agency.

Our thanks to them for a very difficult task, well done! 

Floods on 11th June 2012
Here are some photos of Boldings Brook and the River Arun along the Riverside Walk at Hills Farm Lane with the date, location and approx. time.

Note that this is NORMAL flooding where, after heavy rainfall, the river (Boldings Brook) rises and overflows its usual channel banks to fill its wide natural river bed. On this occasion, in summer, the flow was attenuated by plentiful river meadow vegetation (grasses, brambles etc) in the field to the north of the school footbridge.

11th June 2012  10.33 am  - Boldings Brook from Hills Farm Lane - water is a few cms from entering the road through this gap. Note fallen oak root visible (see HOME blog: Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation)

11th June 2012  10.36 am - Boldings Brook from the south (looking North along the river upstream)  at margin of junior football pitches. River flow from north (background) to south (left)

11th June 2012  10.39 am River Arun - confluence with Boldings Brook in background. River flow from left to right

11th June 2012  11.05 am - Boldings Brook to the north of the new access bridge from Hills Farm Lane to the new development east of the A24. River flow from right to left

11th June 2012  11.15 am - Boldings Brook to the south of the new access bridge from Hills Farm Lane  to the new development east of the A24. River flow from north (background) flowing to left from under the bridge

11th June 2012 11.28 am - Boldings Brook to the north of the Guildford Road bridge A281 near Tanbridge House School roundabout. Note that the river flowing through the bridge arch has risen above the highest point of the arch in the centre of the photo.

Pollution Incidents:
September 2013 around 21st attended by the EA:
Nearest road junction: Rycroft Drive and Coots Ave.
Pollution into Boldings Brook from leaking heating oil tank - fuel entering surface water drain some distance away (grounds of commercial property?) and spilling from drain outfall into Boldings Brook. Strong smell of fuel. EA in attendance on 21st September, installing absorbent booms and soak-ups at drain outfall.

Occasions ongoing - from summer 2013: Pollution by a type of detergent producing low quantities of foam from surface water outfall opposite Stoneybrook appearing early mornings when no other water is flowing out of drain.  


UPSTREAM on Boldings Brook between Warnham Local Nature Reserve and Guildford Road bridge on the A281 West Horsham.
These 2 incidents in late 2011 and 2012 are probably related.

December 2011 

A pollution incident was observed and later reported to me. This was a visible slick on the river surface near the Guildford road bridge and a strong smell of petrol. This had disappeared when we looked at the river on Sunday 18th December 2011 but we found a device in the river very close by which we thought could be a Pollution Monitor.

The EA were informed and came to inspect the site on Friday 23rd December 2012. They located the monitoring device and found a Sussex University address label attached. They replaced the monitor in the river. (Grid Ref....)

Sussex University were contacted and confirmed that they had placed a pollution monitor in the river here but they were unaware of the pollution incident.

March 17th 2012

A river check in our area (Hills Farm Lane) revealed signs of an oil slick on the surface with the river running fast after heavy rain the same morning. 

The source of the slick was traced to exactly the same place as previously, just north of the Guildford Road bridge. There was also a smell of petrol/oil. 

I walked the length of the river downstream and notice signs of the oil slick were not present at the confluence with the river Arun (Grid Ref...)
On Sunday March 18th the slick had disappeared.
The EA were informed by email on Monday 19th March 2012

Photo of oil slick on Boldings Brook March 17th 2012

Returning to the location on 28th March 2012 photos were taken of the likely route of polluted water into the river:

The polluted water, causing a slick, was probably draining into the river via a small ditch on the opposite bank to the right of the large tree trunk. There is no pipe.

The ditch is visible if you walk across the Guildford Road bridge (seen here on the left) and walk along the grass verge towards the roundabout, looking under the vegetation to the right.

The ditch runs along the edge of the grass verge towards the entrance to Wildwood where

there is a pipe/culvert discharging into the ditch - see below:

Water from an unknown source flows out of this pipe into the small ditch and thence into the river.

Note there was still a smell of petrol in this area where the vegetation had dried out.