The River Mel
The Mel is a chalk stream. There are 161 chalk rivers, found only in South East England. They lie in an arc that runs from Southampton through the Chilterns into Norfolk, before disappearing in Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire. Some are famous as almost “holy places” for anglers – the Test, the Itchen – renowned for brown trout, grayling and in the past, salmon. Globally they are very rare. The chalk upon which they depend was created from the skeletons of myriads of microscopic creatures lying on the floor of ancient shallow seas.
So, here, in our midst, is this unusual feature. Our chalk stream is one of a rare type of river that has its source in aquifers (underground lakes) below the chalk. These aquifers are being reduced by water abstraction, but generally fill with winter rain, and run down in summer. The rivers that have these sources flow more strongly in winter than in summer. In some cases, “winter bournes”, they do not flow at all in the summer.
Our river has its origins in the chalk of the “empty quarter” on the Essex/Herts/Cambs boundary, and its source in springs at Melbourn Bury. It flows on for five miles through Meldreth on its way to a confluence with the Rhee. The Rhee flows into the Cam, which ultimately flows out to sea at Denver Sluice near King’s Lynn.
Chalk rivers have a characteristic purity. This is because the source water (but not what flows in from surrounding areas) has been filtered through the overlying chalk. Historically they were used as water for human consumption, as for example in Cambridge via Hobson’s Conduit, and in London via “The New River” from Ware.
The threats to chalk rivers are essentially all from man: water abstraction, off wash from roads, industry, sewage works, farming. But a very real threat is silt, and this is something we can tackle. Chalk rivers should have a stony bottom which will support a special insect population. This in turn, with the vegetation, supports fish and other life. They provide a link in the food chain to higher animals like kingfishers, grey wagtails, water voles and otters. Build up of silt threatens all this.
The River Mel Restoration Group is attempting in a small way to “right the wrongs”, and to ensure that the River Mel is left to the next generation in better heart than we find it. We hope this will be extended to the whole of the Mel. Our work may also influence the planning authorities, Parish, District and County, to be aware of the importance of the river when considering planning matters.