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Now that 2009 is rapidly drawing to a close it is time to reflect upon a year during which
a great deal of public consultation has been taking place with regard to issues
facing water resources, the basic commodity of life. Our website provides some insight
into the wide ranging issues that continued to be addressed during past years and which
must be maintained throughout 2010
The Environment Agency Water Framework Directive was a welcome and extremely comprehensive
document which addressed all issues in great detail. We expressed support for the objectives
and requested that the document remained a basis for continuing discussion with all organisations
that have taken the trouble to respond.
The East of England Regional Authority > 2031 and its 'Scenarios for housing and
economic growth' held its Hertfordshire public consultation event at the Fielder Centre,
Hatfield on 9th November. It proved to be an evening of vigorous and healthy debate on
society’s perceived need for additional housing whilst recognising the issues of water
resource stress together with the loss of green belt land, much of which is producing
food for the local communities. We await the formal notes of the meeting.
The National Standards for New and Redeveloped Sustainable Drainage Systems
public consultation launched by Ciria is perhaps a less impressive exercise in that the original
questionnaire was received during early October, 2009 with the deadline for
response being 30 October, 2009. "The Bill will also amend section 106 of the Water Industry
Act 1991 to provide a right to connect surface water run-off to public sewers
from SUDS where connection is proposed as part of an approved scheme which meets the National Standards".
This is in line with the DEFWG endeavours to promote water being returned by SUDS to
the local aquifer rather than being sent to such places as Maple Cross, many miles away
from the local aquifer. This is crucial for the headwaters of the local chalk streams,
allocated a BAP w1 driver, which reflects the Environment Agency’s commitments under the
Biodiversity Action Plan.
Dacorum Environmental Forum has recently formed a DEF Biodiversity Group,
on which the Herts.
Environmental Record Centre and DEFWG is represented, and this will become an active collaboration
for the purpose of improving the biodiversity of the rivers Bulbourne, Gade and Ver.
Our website features Dacorum Borough Council Urban Nature Conservation Study which will
also contribute strongly to the environmental treatment of the local chalk streams and their
adjacent environs.
This now leads to the major interest of all local residents, the rivers Bulbourne, Gade and Ver
and the Environment Agency River Restoration Plans which are in their final stages of preparation.
These the result of a wide variety of meetings with community groups, such as the Chiltern Society
Rivers and Wetland Conservation Group, the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project, the Ver Society,
Dacorum Environmental Forum Water Group. These will also be of interest to all local environmental
groups such as Friends of the Earth; and particularly local landowners.
Roger Hands, 12th November, 2009
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