North East Herts MP Oliver Heald is backing Ashwell Parish Council’s representations to Government to ensure that Ashwell Springs is not over-abstracted in a drought.
Commenting, Oliver Heald said, “I have written to Ministers backing Ashwell Parish Council’s representations about the Draft Drought Management Plan 2011. Their thinking fits in with my representations on behalf of chalk streams generally.”
Note
Ashwell Parish Council’s comments are as follows:-
The Parish Council
· welcomes the specific and detailed references to Ashwell Springs and the potential for very severe impact on the SSSI
Page 48 – “we anticipate significant environmental impact on only one designated wildlife site, this is on the SSSI at Ashwell Springs.”
Page 54 – “Ashwell Springs SSSI is the only designated wildlife site that we believe would be directly impacted by the implementation of a drought action. The cessation or a reduction in support to the Springs would reduce spring flow and potentially impact the macroinvertebrate community of the site”.
· requests that the current work in conjunction with the Environment Agency be progressed as a matter of priority and urgency.
Page 57 –“to define an operating protocol that will cover droughts as well as other periods of low flows”.