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River Cherwell

Jason, totally agree with you about the reasons for the demise of the Barbel fishing.

As regards the water colour, I have just read the NRA Cherwell Consultation Report that you posted the link too. Page 91 seems to confirm the effect that the Coffee Processing Plant and its waste precedures have had on the discolouration of the Cherwell. An excerpt of that page below:


ISSUE 4: EFFLUENT DISCHARGE FROM BANBURY SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS
Overview 5.17 Trade effluent from the Kraft General Foods coffee manufacturing plant is discharged to sewer and is eventually treated at Banbury Sewage Treatment works. The effluent from the coffee manufacturing process is highly coloured, and the sewage treatment works processes have very little impact on the colour. Consequently the effluent discharged from Banbury STW is highly coloured, and causes noticeable discoloration of the Cherwell. The problem is not so much one of pollution, but of aesthetics and has caused numerous complaints from river users. At present there is no colour standard on the consent conditions for Banbury, however when the 'Aesthetics' window component of the General Quality Assessment scheme is introduced, this discolouration is likely to be highlighted further.
Strategies and Management Options 5.18 The NRA should review the consent and consider the application of a colour standard for the discharge.
5.19 TWUL should consider possible treatment options for reducing the coloured component in the effluent. This is likely to incur significant costs and it may be that TWUL would refuse to accept the effluent if a colour component were introduced to the consent.
5.20 Kraft General Foods should consider opportunities for partial or complete on-site treatment of the effluent stream/colour removal. It should be recognised that this is likely to incur significant investment and it is believed that such investment may well make the plant uneconomic. Implementation 5.21 The NRA should convene a working group with Kraft General Foods and TWUL to establish economic and environmentally acceptable options for the discharge.

You then get down to Appendix A.page 2 which outlines the NRA’s Strategic Objectives for the Cherwell. See excerpt below:


A.6 The NRA’s Strategic Objectives regarding water quality are:
• to maintain waters that are already of high quality;
• to improve waters of poorer quality;
• to ensure all waters are of an appropriate quality for their agreed uses;
• to prosecute polluters and recover the costs of restoration from them;
• to devise charging regimes that allocate the costs of maintaining and improving water quality fairly and provide incentive to reduce pollution.


I’m left wandering, did the NRA actually execute the objectives.
Hmmmmmmm.............!!
 
No Michael just a member of Ruislip,never on selection panel,they used to stop Carp anglers from getting in the club.They were worried about losing Savey lake but in the end it was bought out from under them and they were kicked off. Did you attend early Barbel society meetings at Uxbridge and fished a caravan park bit of the cherwell?,there were not many of us barbelling the Cherwell in those early days.Interesting bits being found out about our old river
 
Dave Taylor said:
Well, I see your point Jason,.. but archived river threads, no matter how negative and depressing serve as as historical record of the failings of those whose responsibility it is or was to allow it all to occur. This thread will get lost in time unless it's part of river reports.
I think many of our " peers" have a blind spot, I put this link up a couple of years ago just to aggravate Alex!!

http://myparliament.info/Debates/commons/2015-1-26/8336

:rolleyes::eek:
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Thanks Dave, actually glad you dug this up. I think I'll send ths BS to Victoria Prentice and see what garbage she can add to it. Typical political spin from politicians :mad:
 
Michael Foster said:
Jason, the barbel in that pool, were probably the most pressurised on the the Cherwell, they got hammered for a good 10 years years before you came across them, probaly explains why they didn’t hang around after the close season! A friend did have one a couple of seasons ago, 9lb 8oz, and it wasn’t a stockie, I weighed it for him, it was in lovely condition.

Mark, the canal side is now free fishing, it use to be run by Banbury (BDAA), they have now dropped it. I use to be a member of Ruislip myself (very handy for fishing the spit on Savay Lake!!) As far as I know, the Ruislip side is free now, as long as you don’t bump into the farmer. Had some superb barbel fishing along the whole length, from Shipton railway bridge right down to Millers Hook. It is still accessible over the old rickety wooden bridge at Shipton. Or if you were too lazy to walk that far, a couple of us use to put the waders on and wade across at Thrupp.

Alex, I had a look at the Cherwell at three different locations on Tuesday before the rain came. By Banbury reservoir it was crystal clear, a few miles downstream at Sommerton and Heyford it was that horrible brown colour again and very low, it has been like that at these two spots since April! Who knows, but i know what is between these two locations!!
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Yes sadly so Mike, maybe there is scope to barbel fish at Cropredy! I know there used to be a resident barbel at Red Lunch!
 
Once again Jason, thanks for resurrecting a bit more recent history of the Cherwell. I thought the UTFC's secretary's report echoed my feelings about the Wey around that time,.... i.e. ... loads of passion, paperwork, correspondence and meetings resulting in a depressing, frustrating acknowledgment that things had in fact become worse during one's tenure .
You're right to highlight the positives even if they sometimes seem to be outweighed by the negatives. I often think many of our river's problems are cyclical and nature finds a balance, but I agree that water quantity and quality are often a reoccurring theme and the root to many present day river probs.
One of the sad long term factors is the demise of the small local angling clubs whose membership just desert for greener pastures or decide to just fish muddy puddles instead.

As an aside,... the link to that thread reminded me that we haven't heard from Dave Gauntlett on here for a good while,... hope all is well?
 
As an aside,... the link to that thread reminded me that we haven't heard from Dave Gauntlett on here for a good while,... hope all is well?[/QUOTE]

I was thinking the same, last post he made, got a bit of unwarranted stick. hope all is well Dave.:)
 
looking at old threads, makes you realise how times change...

Paul Boote, Dave Gauntlett...well worth reading some of there old posts
 
Mark, never attended a Barbel Society Meeting, but yes, did fish the caravan field for a few years, incredible fishing. Some exceptional anglers caught their PB’s from that stretch, big fish at the time and well before pellet and boilies became the norm. Hardly use to see a soul there, apart from those in the know, but by about 93/94 it began to get very pressurised, think that was the last season I fished it. Not too sure whether Gerrards X still have it.

I did walk the top end of the Gerrard X stretch last season, from the A34 bridge downstream right around to the farm. To be honest it looked quite good, lots of ranunculus and onion reeds, the clarity was quite good, and the gravel didn’t look to dirty, but it does need a hell of a lot more water as Jason has stated. Got a week of soon, might take a walk down there with a big bucket of maggots and see what happens!
 
Michael Foster said:
Mark, never attended a Barbel Society Meeting, but yes, did fish the caravan field for a few years, incredible fishing. Some exceptional anglers caught their PB’s from that stretch, big fish at the time and well before pellet and boilies became the norm. Hardly use to see a soul there, apart from those in the know, but by about 93/94 it began to get very pressurised, think that was the last season I fished it. Not too sure whether Gerrards X still have it.

I did walk the top end of the Gerrard X stretch last season, from the A34 bridge downstream right around to the farm. To be honest it looked quite good, lots of ranunculus and onion reeds, the clarity was quite good, and the gravel didn’t look to dirty, but it does need a hell of a lot more water as Jason has stated. Got a week of soon, might take a walk down there with a big bucket of maggots and see what happens!
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Michael, Gerard's gave up there stretch down there and only have the bit at Hampton Pyle now. Kidlington have the field from the Bicester road down to the a34. I haven't seen anyone fish down that way for a long time now so you'll have it all to yourself
 
Thanks Jason, it did look as though it had been abandoned, a lot of trees down in the water just past the A34 bridge, but once you get round the big bend it looks half decent, now its free fishing will definately give it ago.
 
a few years back the ea flood defence team hit that stretch hard and it was shocking what they left it like, i'll have to have a walk down there myself, haven't been down for along time
 
Its frightening how quickly nature re-establishes itself. If it's been a couple of years since it was "visited" by the EA, then it may well be overgrown again.
I guess thats why they tend to be a bit ruthless.
 
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