User:Pete.harrison.87/River Kennett draft

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The River Kennett has been designated Main River from just upstream of the village of Dalham, but the headwaters are located approximately another 11 km upstream near the hamlet of Cowlinge. The watercourse at this location is two to four metres wide and ephemeral in nature. It is fairly heavily vegetated and flows in a general northward direction. Upon reaching Bloomfield’s Farm the watercourse flows west crossing Newmarket Road near Vicarage Farm. By now the watercourse is fairly well defined and clearer of vegetation, but still only two to four metres wide. At Fifteen Acre Plantation a left bank tributary enters the watercourse. The tributary, named here as the Lucy Wood Tributary, is the product of a number of small drains and watercourses that join near Lucy Wood in the village of Kirtling. The watercourse flows under the road twice and is relatively narrow but clean. After the confluence the watercourse flows another 2 km before a right hand bank tributary joins. This small stream originates in Lidgate village and therefore has been called Lidgate Tributary. The stream is approximately 2 to 4 m wide and flows from Redhouse Farm downstream flowing alongside The Street a couple of metres below road level. It enters a number of relatively significant (approximately 0.9 m wide) culverts, which are up to 80 m long. The watercourse crosses the road at Street Farm and flows north before joining the River Kennett and flowing in a northern direction. After approximately 2 km a left hand bank tributary enters the watercourse. Named here as the Silverley Tributary is rises near Barnstead Manor Stud, flowing in a easterly direction and crossing Saxon Street Road near Fisher’s Plantation. Here the channel is well defined, approximately 1 to 2 m wide and fairly clean, with grassy vegetation. Flowing eastwards towards the hamlet of Silverley the channel remains a similar width with well defined banks but is more heavily vegetated with some trees and shrubs growing out from it. It flows under the B1085 to confluence with the River Kennett, which continues to flow in a northerly direction. The first major structures occur within the village of Dalham, with the river passing under Lidgate Road at The Sounds and then under Stores Hill at another road bridge. Here the watercourse is clean with small pebbles and low vegetation as bed material and is 5 to 8 m wide. Just upstream of this point is an Environment Agency gauge (now redundant) and a culverted outfall from a small drain (called The Dalham Tributary for this report). The tributary drains the surrounding fields towards Leipsic Wood and is heavily vegetated in places, it is approximately 1 to 2 m wide. At Makins Barn it enters a culvert with a small trash screen inlet. From Dalham the river flows in a north western direction towards Moulton crossing under Gazeley Road at Catford Bridge. Upon entering Moulton the channel begins to widen slightly and meander before flowing under a footbridge and across a concrete road ford near Church Road. The watercourse flows north with well defined banks with a number of small footbridges along Brookside before crossing under the road in a rectangular culvert. At high flows the watercourse flows over Bridge Street at the road ford and through a medieval bridge which is set back from the road (shown on the front cover of this report). The watercourse continues to flow in a general northerly direction before reaching Kentford and crossing under the B1506 near Meddler Stud with the channel widening out to approximately 10 m and becoming more vegetated. From here the River Kennett then flows under the A14 and the railway before turning northwest towards Badlingham, flowing under a number of small roads and the A11. There are a couple of small wooden weirs at Badlingham and a dry moat around Badlingham Manor, which would be filled at high flows by way of an earth embankment. Here the channel is approximately 6 to 8 m wide with well defined vegetated banks, but a clean bed containing small pebbles. The river flows west and just before Hall Farm, Freckenham a left hand bank tributary joins the River Kennett, which has been named as Chippenham Lodge Tributary in this report. This watercourse begins at a small pond in Coachroad Plantation south of Chippenham Park. It flows north east and crosses Chippenham Road where the channel is approximately 2 m wide and heavily vegetated with standing reeds and bracken. From here it flows north and becomes cleaner by the time it crosses the B1085. After flowing around Chippenham Stud it crosses under New Street by the Sewage Works flowing northwest where the stream appears to be ephemeral and with a grassed bed. From here the watercourse flows north through a wooded area passing Brookside Farm and Larkwood Stud before joining the River Kennett. The River Kennett continues through Freckenham where it passes under a road bridge at The Street with the channel approximately 5 m wide but still relatively vegetated. Continuing north the river flows over a weir and through Beck Bridge with well defined banks and less vegetated bed. At this location the River Kennett becomes the Lee Brook and continues on north to join the River Lark’s left hand bank half way between Jude’s Ferry Bridge and the river split at Isleham Marina. The other watercourse modelled in Package 13 has been named in this report as Denham Drain, and is a not designated as an Environment Agency Main River. It is consistent in its nature throughout the reach and can be described as a field ditch, fairly heavily vegetated and only a couple of metres wide in most places. It begins near the hamlet of Denham flowing north, crossing Brockley Lane twice near Jeremy’s Wood. It continues to flow in a northwest direction crossing minor roads twice more before flowing under the A14 and railway line. It flows under the access road to Pin Farm before reaching a wooded area near Slade Bottom where the stream finishes. Site visit investigations were inconclusive (due to a lack of significant water in the channel) to whether the watercourse then contributes to ground water or is infiltrated as standing water around the wooded area. However, there is no downstream connectivity to any major watercourse.