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Chalk Streams

The River Chess will be well known to the residents of Rickmansworth. This beautiful river rises above Chesham and flows to Rickmansworth, where it meets the River Colne. But the Chess is no ordinary river; it is in fact a chalk stream, one of several to be found in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Chalk streams are an internationally rare habit, mainly confined to north-west Europe and New Zealand. They are fed from ëgroundwaterí held in the underlying chalk. Their clear waters maintain a stable temperature, providing ideal conditions for many plants and animals. Chalk streams are naturally narrow and fairly fast-flowing, with a clean gravel bed. The gravel is extremely important for wildlife, with many species dependent on its presence. Invertebrates live amongst it and brown trout bury their eggs in it.
The Chess Valley is one of the most attractive parts of the Chilterns AONB, with a rich natural and cultural history. It supports several key species listed in the Governmentís UK Biodiversity Action Plan, including water vole, water rail, kingfisher, stream water crowfoot and brown trout. The valley has a long and fascinating history of human habitation. There are a number of Roman villa sites along the valley, including Latimer Park. At Sarratt you can see ëstrip lynchetsí ñ terraces along the hillside made by the action of ploughing along the slope and thought to have been the site of mediaeval vineyards.
Human habitation has altered the valley and the river in many ways, not all of them beneficial for wildlife. River modifications such as dredging and widening slow the current, allowing silt to accumulate and smother the gravel riverbed. Changes in the land use adjacent to the river can also have impact. Water meadows have been replaced by arable fields and building developments, altering drainage patterns and causing pollution. A plan is now being developed to address these issues on the Chess.
The Chilterns Chalk Streams Project is an initiative of the Chilterns Conference, aiming to conserve the chalk streams of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is a partnership including the Environmental Agency, Countryside Agency, English Nature, Thames Water, Three Valleys Water and local authorities. The Project is working with local residents, farmers and landowners to develop "Local Action Programmes" of environmental and recreational improvements for each stream.
For the Chess, the programme will include measures to reduce pollution from the roads and farmland, conserving the historic features of the valley, restoring water meadows, improvements to the river channel and surveys for rare species. This last action will particularly include water voles, Britainís fastest declining mammal. The River Chess is a proposed ëKey Areaí for water voles ñ a designation resulting from the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. It is one of the last strongholds for this much-loved animal, which has declined due to loss of habitat and the introduction of the American mink, a voracious predator.
The programme also includes actions relating to water efficiency. We take out water from the chalk aquifer ñ layers of chalk rock which soak up rainwater. This is the same water that feeds the chalk streams, so reducing our use of water in our homes and gardens helps to ensure that there is enough water for wildlife. Saving water can be very simple; for example, almost a third of the water we use in the home is flushed down the toilet. You can save two litres of water every time you flush by fitting a ëHippoí bag in your cistern. A dripping tap can waste as much as 90 litres of water every week, so replace those worn-out washers!
For further information on the River Chess and Chilterns chalk streams please contact:-

Sarah Bentley
Chiltern Chalk Streams Officer,
Chilterns AONB Office,
8 Summerleys Road,
Princes Risborough,
Bucks HP27 9DT
Tel (01844) 271308

The views expressed on this website are those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the R&DRA Committee as a whole.

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