Volunteers from a newly-formed action group are testing the water of the Bure as part of a project to help protect and restore the river’s health.
Bure River Action, which was set up last year by residents of Aylsham and surrounding villages along the river, is monitoring ammonia and phosphate levels as part of the National Trust’s Riverlands Project.
Downriver – Alex Christie-Miller tests the water near Burgh-Next-Aylsham.
The aim is to institute a rigorous water testing programme and to share data with the Environment Agency in order to allow it respond more promptly to pollution incidents.
A similar project on the Wensum has led to the identification and resolution of several serious pollution spills in the past two years. The Environment Agency’s own river testing has dropped dramatically in the past decade, falling nearly 60 per cent between 2012 and 2021.
“Many of us who use the river have been appalled by its decline in recent years,” said Bure River Action chairman Chris Williams.
“We decided to set up this action group in order to record the state of the river, pin down the causes of its decline, and with the help of other groups, address them.”
Among the threats facing the Bure is a suspected increase in raw sewage pumping, which has become a major national issue in recent years, agricultural runoff, and the invasive signal crayfish.
Aside from taking part in the Riverlands project, Bure River Action also hopes to raise public awareness of the state of the river, and support other projects with local and regional organisations to protect and improve the river’s health.
The Bure, which is popular with kayakers, canoeists, and swimmers, is one of only 220 chalk streams in the world and is recognised as a valuable and unique habitat for a range of wildlife.
CAN YOU HELP?
Bure River Action would like to hear from anyone who wants to get involved in its work, especially people who regularly use or walk along the river and might have useful knowledge regarding it. We also welcome people sharing photos, both of pollution incidents and wildlife sightings that we could share on our social media accounts.
The group can be followed on Bluesky: @bureriveraction.bsky.social, on Instagram: bureriveraction. We also have a Facebook Group.
Anyone interested in getting involved can email us at connect@bureriveraction.co.uk.
