User:The GEO! Team

The Changing Face of the River Soar and it's effects on Nature.
The River Soar is a non-tidal meandering river covering 25 miles and has 15 locks that continue the line of the Grand Union Canal from Leicester to the River Trent. The river was made navigable from the Trent to Loughborough in 1778 after many years of failed attempts. Navigation was improved two years later after the notable success of the Erewash Canal. Before competition from railways took over in the mid 1800’s the Loughborough Navigation was the most profitable. Legend has it that the body of King Richard III lies somewhere along the River Soar. After his burial Henry III ordered his body to be removed from his tomb and thrown him into the river. He remains the only British monarch not to have a burial site.

Industry
After the Loughborough canal opened in 1778, Leicester’s industry started to grow via the river through the use of boats and barges, and then when the Grand Junction canal opened in 1800 Leicester started to become a vital place in England for trading with it being in the centre of Birmingham and London.

Leicester’s industry was primarily of the textile industry and gas turbines, which can still be seen today alongside the rivers banks. As Leicester was in the middle of the two major trading cities the river was in heavy use and as a result the river was adapted from its natural ways and it was canalised and adapted to allow barges to go down it carrying profits and new materials that would allow Leicester to develop over time. By having the waterway available to these industries, they were allowed to blossom and grow and since the waterway was on the same route as the major cities, the industries were allowed to grow quicker due to the fact that they could trade more and send their materials either way down the river.

Leicester became a major source of materials, as textiles were needed across the country and this is what dominated Leicester’s industry for a couple of hundred years before the use of waterways started to decline as trains and aeroplanes took over allowing quicker and more direct transport of goods, however the path that the barges would have took are still visible today as the pathways are still accessible for casual use.

Over the last century, industrial use of the river has declined rapidly and other forms of land use have increased. As the city itself has grown in population and size, more of the banks of the Soar are used for private residences – from low density residences like detached houses with gardens backing on to the river in Aylestone, to very new high density residences like the apartment blocks in the upper West End and city centre. Another recent redevelopment project is the Walkers Stadium, which was finished in 2002 on Freeman’s Wharf – a 22-acre plot of land that used to house an oil-fired power station that had been decommissioned. Earlier projects include an expansion of De Montfort University in the 1960. Boats still travel the river; however most if not all are canal boats or rowing boats for leisure and sport.

Transport and Trade
The River Soar has had a very extensive relationship with the city and nature. Throughout history the river has been Leicester’s thoroughfare to many industrial centres in the UK, as well as, being a vital component of it’s transportation of their export’s from the city’s bustling market scene. The river was eventually made navigable in between Leicester and Loughborough in 1784, which was followed by the construction of the Grand Union Canal, which connected Leicester to the Southern network of channels. This helped facilitate trade with London and inevitably Europe in 1814. During this time the river proved to be the most profitable commercial navigation in Britain acting effectively as a direct connection between the North and South. Once a congested waterway packed with barges taking important goods to and from Leicester now the only boats seen on the river these days are that of pleasure cruisers and narrow boats. The Industrialisation of Leicester saw the utilisation of the river as an important resource in the running of the factories. As mentioned earlier the limekiln factories were a frequent occurrence along the route of the canal as were the mills producing textiles and more recently the Gas Refinery’s taking up on either of the river in the Aylestone area. This has had a detrimental effect on the river’s natural environment due to the dumping of waste into the river polluting the river beyond the capability of supporting marine life. Also the dumping of coal residues near the gas works is causing populations of roaming animals living nearby the river, such as badgers, to deplete.

Wildlife
The River Soar is a haven for a wide variety of wildlife including swans, moorhens and drakes which are joined by Canadian geese in the summer. The waters hold many fish of which perch, pike and bream are amongst them. Healthy populations of white-clawed crayfish are thriving in these waters after a severe threat from an American species which escaped into the British waterways and they are now a protected species. The floodplain grasslands surrounding the River Soar and Trent support some of the richest wildlife in Leicestershire, they are also very important for breeding birds.

Nature and the City
Although the Environment Agency has managed to improve water quality to almost original levels, human land uses still have a negative effect on the river’s wildlife. Businesses must obtain permission from the government in order to discharge waste into the river, or they may face prosecution. The Soar’s water is examined 48 times per year to ensure that acceptable levels of pollution are being maintained.

One of the most persistent causes of pollution is nutrient run off and leaching from agricultural land upstream from Leicester, which can cause eutrophication and loss of wildlife. The Environment Agency is working with farmers to reduce the incidence of eutrophication. Designation of the Soar as sensitive to eutrophication under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive should drive a reduction in discharged nutrients.

Another cause of eutrophication in the Soar is the Wanlip sewage treatment facility downstream, north of Leicester. Heavy rainfall can cause the tanks of untreated effluent to spill into the river, and this has caused fish death in the past. However, improvements in storm water storage by Severn Trent Water mean that this has not occurred recently.

Domestic water use in Leicester also has negative effects on the Soar, as Severn Trent water draws water from local rivers and this can lead to reduced river flow in times of drought which increases concentration of pollutants, which in turn can have negative effects on wildlife.

Another non industrial human impact on the Soar is the disposal of domestic chemicals down drains into the sewage system. The Leicester Environment Partnership has proposed that public education is needed in order to dissuade people from pouring away chemicals that the sewage system can render harmless to the environment.

The Future of the Soar
The wildlife of the Soar should benefit from plans submitted by Leicester City Council to redevelop the river in the city, by increasing pedestrian access and increasing the use of the river for environmentally friendly leisure activities, including building a new marina around which ‘comprehensive, residential-led mixed-use development’ will focus (http://www.leicesterregeneration.co.uk/project_waterfront.html). There has been ongoing strong interest from developers and potential customers alike. Decreasing industrial use and increased emphasis on sustainable, eco friendly development should greatly benefit the ecosystem of the soar.