Life of a Chalkstream: Leader! What new leader?

Greetings!

Today marks the final day for Sir James Bevan behind his chief executive desk at the Environment Agency, passing on the baton to Philip Duffy as yet unencumbered by a knighthood but I do not doubt that will follow soon such is the incremental nature of these appointments.

To be fair it is too early to judge Duffy but the omens are not good for another civil service lifer, this time from the Treasury rather than Bevan’s Foreign Office, who has been moved into a cosy billet as he transitions towards a hefty taxpayer funded pension.

I must admit I am disappointed in the choice of Duffy, not so much because of his environmentally arid CV, but because there doesn’t seem to be any passion to resolve the ills that afflict our rivers in this appointment. Duffy, or a Duffy look-a-like, was destined for this position such was the nature of the selection process. I read the job specification and application – it effectively excluded anyone from outside the civil service tent which continues a long tradition for fulfilling the chief executive role.

Philip Duffy

Before Bevan we had Paul Leinster (2008-15), who had been promoted up through the EA ranks. Prior to that Baroness Young (2000-08) who’s main qualification seemed to be as a Labour peer appointed by a Labour government. In fact, the only leader of any substance was Ed Gallagher, an environmental scientist, who led the EA from its inception in 1995 having held a similar position at its predecessor the National River Authority.

But the most depressing moment in this whole process was the press release from the EA announcing Duffy’s appointment. It read:

“We’re very excited to have Philip joining the Environment Agency. As climate change and population growth increase the pressures on England’s precious resources, we have a vital role delivering for people, nature and the economy. Philip brings considerable experience from the Treasury and will head up a truly excellent (sic) Executive team.”

Really, no mention of pollution? This obsession with climate change slays me every time. The EA use it like some sort of heat deflector. Cannot keep the rivers clean? Its climate change. Sucking rivers dry? Its climate change? Building new homes on flood plains? Its climate change. I could go on ……

If there is one thing Duffy can do to change the whole tenor of our attitude towards the destruction of British rivers, and the countryside in general, is to fess up to the true, local causes of the problems rather than waving the climate change hair shirt.

Goodbye Tone

On Saturday we gathered at the Castle Cove Sailing Club in Weymouth to say goodbye to our friend Tony King, guide extraordinaire, in a send-off that was as unique as Tony himself.

Though most of you would have known Tony as a fly fisher he was very arty, meeting his wife, Clare at Winchester Art College in the 1970’s when being at art college was truly ‘out there’. I will not repeat much of what I wrote in Tone’s (as his family called him) obituary which you may read here but I’ll tell you how we saw him into the hereafter which sort of reflects how he sealed his relationship with Clare.

I think it is fair to say Clare was a rebel even by the high standards of art college. As she reached her finals her lecturers were concerned that Clare had no body of art to offer for examination, having arrived at the belief that all art was transitory and should be burnt once completed. Tony was dispatched to parley some compromise, which involved photographing the art works prior to incineration. Clare graduated.

Tone's last journey

More that fifty years on, in the wake of Tony’s cremation, Clare had built a boat entirely of paper, with a funnel into which we all dropped a final note to Tony on fish shaped paper. With his ashes on board Clare waded into the sea until she was waist deep, where she was joined by a flaming torch bearer who lit a giant Roman candle.

The boat was then released from its tether to drift slowly out to sea, the flaming candle marking its progress in the growing dark until Tony vanished from sight forever.

It was sad, but truly wonderful.

Tony King

Tony’s family have set up a fundraiser for the Weldmar charity that provided end of life care for Tony along with the wonderful NHS staff. Without them they simply wouldn't have been able to fulfil Tony's wishes to remain at home for his final weeks.

To donate click here .....

Ofwat gets political

As you well know my admiration for Ofwat, the regulator tasked with regulating the business side of the water and sewage industry, is much the same as my non-admiration for the Environment Agency. However, having drifted along for years as mostly a misguided defender of water company interests Ofwat seems to be changing its tune, but perhaps more for optics than effect.

Firstly, they have proposed putting in place a scheme whereby the water companies have to meet certain benchmarks before paying dividends to shareholders. This is an overtly political proposal – fat cat owners are an easy target. However, making water companies less desirable to investors strikes me as wise as eating a live pig one leg at a time.

The second proposal is tiered water charges, namely increasing the amount you pay per cubic metre of water by as much as three times if your household water consumption rises above certain tiered levels. Two points I will make here: the numbers are such that only mansions and swimming pool owners are likely to have to pay any more. And secondly, why should the water companies see the benefit? After all, they are not paying any more to extract or process the water – the unit cost out of your or my tap remains the same.

I have a much better idea if the aim is to reduce home water consumption to protect scarce water resources. Let us charge the water companies for every cubic metre of water they pump out of the ground or from rivers, with surge pricing at the times when water is most scarce. I will bet we would soon see leaky pipes repaired, desalination plants suddenly affordable and reservoirs built.

Catch the Hatch this Easter

Stock up with Dark Olives is the guide advice for early April. The rivers are full and the fish are eager. It is never full on all day, but never leave the river for long because a burst of sunrise, a drop in the wind or a sheltered spot can bring on a sudden hatch to make the first day out a memorable one.

Broadlands carrier

Good Friday (7 April)

Coln St Aldwyns - River Coln £141.00 per rod 1-3 rod(s)

Abbots Worthy - River Itchen £125.00 per rod 1-3 rod(s)

Avington 4 Fish Lake ticket £130.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Avington River plus C & R lake £115.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Avington River £75.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Mulberry Whin - Driffield Beck £95.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Hill Deverill - River Wylye £95.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Wrackleford - River Frome £80.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Cotton's - River Dove £75.00 per rod 1-3 rod(s)

Avon Springs - 4 fish ticket £64.00 per rod 1-4 rod(s)

West Wycombe - River Wye & Lakes £295.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Saturday (8 April)

Coln St Aldwyns - River Coln £141.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Hill Deverill - River Wylye £95.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Wrackleford - River Frome £80.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Cotton's - River Dove £75.00 per rod 1-3 rod(s)

Avon Springs Lake only £64.00 per rod 1-4 rod(s)

Easter Sunday (9 April)

Coln St Aldwyns - River Coln £141.00 per rod 1-3 rod(s)

Abbots Worthy - River Itchen £125.00 per rod 1-3 rod(s)

Mulberry Whin - Driffield Beck £95.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Wrackleford - River Frome £80.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Cotton's - River Dove £75.00 per rod 1-3 rod(s)

Avon Springs Lake only £64.00 per rod 1-4 rod(s)

Bank Holiday Monday (10 April)

Coln St Aldwyns - River Coln £141.00 per rod 1-3 rod(s)

Abbots Worthy - River Itchen £125.00 per rod 1 rod(s)

Hill Deverill - River Wylye £95.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Mulberry Whin - Driffield Beck £95.00 per rod 1 rod(s)

Wrackleford - River Frome £80.00 per rod 1 rod(s)

Avington Catch and Release Lake ticket £75.00 per rod 1-2 rod(s)

Cotton's - River Dove £75.00 per rod 1-3 rod(s)

Avon Springs - 4 Fish Ticket £64.00 per rod 1-4 rod(s)

To check out you chosen beat use this link or use this link to search any date.

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Video of the Week

This is from WASP, Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, who have been one of the most incisive campaigning groups leading the way on the science of sewage pollution and, to put it kindly, obfuscation, of the water companies.

Taking its genesis from W H Auden’s Stop All the Clocks, Stop all the Locks - A Poem about River Pollution is no cheerful listen but it tells a true, but sorry tale.