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Houghton Green Pool water level going down fast


Geoffrey Settle

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Don't know where it is so haven't noticed sorry. It will soon fill up again now it's the 'wet' season.

 

It doesn't look as low yet as Appleton Reservoir sometimes gets during our hot and sunny summer months :? Did we have any by the way ?

 

Why are UU draining water from your lake though Geoff...... ?

Is it to compensate for all their leaks and lost water elsewhere :shock::wink:

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I?ve always wondered about that pond / lake. It certainly wasn?t there when I was a lad and it just seems to have developed over time.

 

I used to deliver papers to the house just at the side of it and the address was ?The Water Works?, probably a former pumping station?

 

I suspect it?s fairly shallow so with a high surface area and the lack of any real amount of rain in recent months it?s not surprising to me to see the levels falling.

 

Bill :)

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The extraction is so that the water can be drunk, it's Houghton Green and the water is piped to Winwick.

 

http://www.warrington.gov.uk/leisureandculture/Conservation/wncf.aspx take a look at this link to the Warrington Nature Conservation Forum - scroll down and see details of them doing a survey when the water was high. The area is a SINC site.

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Just hope that it doesn't make the birds fly away from the area.

 

10422_1248131404445_1264246400_30747883_1610396_n.jpg

 

I believe that during the motorway construction the lake was formed because the removal of material created the deep pit which was filled by the natural water source or spring. So there is a process of extraction and replacement of water which hopefully United Utilities will monitor very closely for the benefit of our feathered friends. :D

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The lake looks big but I'm sure it?s very shallow. The slope at the waters edge is that shallow that just a few inches lost through evaporation would make it appear quite dramatic.

 

I have two ponds in my garden and have had to top up a couple of times in recent months.

 

Bill :)

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Are you sure that the higher level wasn't an unusual one? It rained so much during the "summer" months that my garden pond overflowed for the first time in history - and then, as Bill said, we have had some fairly consistent dry weather. Maybe it's just returning to normal levels?

 

WNCF are monitoring the situation as shown on their web page above. As water continues to be extracted by UU they will record what happens and UU acknowledge this in writing.

 

You can see that as the water level recedes there has been no vegetation growing for a long time. In the 25 years I have walked around the pond it has never looked like is does now.

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T F & The Wire said it was once a mining area.

Geoff says it was due to excavation during the motorway construction.

Was it both of these? :?

 

However way it came about it's become an area important to sustain wildlife. Glad to hear it's being monitored.

Keep your eye on it Geoff!

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Hi Sha the field was excavated as hardcore for the motorway and it is above the mines that extend from Newton-le-Willows. The mines extended as far as Cinnamon Brow/Padgate so pass under the pond and my house!!

 

I believe that the fields on the other side of Delph Lane contain an underground system that may have channelled water in and around Winwick. It has been well documented by Padgates, Mark Olly - the Man in Black, in his Celtic Books and I'm sure that he featured the area in his TV series.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celtic-Warrington-Other-Mysteries-North/dp/189794943X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255489025&sr=8-4 a fascinating read.

 

415G467SRAL._SS500_.jpg

 

Can you spot the dragon - so fast really tricky to snap :wink: ?

 

10422_1248130924433_1264246400_30747871_197379_n.jpg

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The mines extended as far as Cinnamon Brow/Padgate so pass under the pond and my house!!

 

Hope youv'e got the mining rights for under your house Geoff!

as you know about the mines you probably have :lol:

 

Thanks for the link to Mark Olly's books, he does some really interesting research, Iv'e not read this one......yet!

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I got his lastest book in June from Borders :D Got the full set now :D

 

Not seen him around for ages though. Wonder what he's upto these days and why he's stopped posting on here :cry:

 

Loved his TV programmes... more please Mark if you are reading :D:wink:

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He's probably gome quite because he's either working on his 4th book in the series or like Indy he's on another historical quest.

 

Just looked up the United Utility Drought Plan for 2008.

 

It identified the Houghton Green Pool as a source because it is a borehole.

 

Therefore there is a supply of water but the only question is will the extraction exceed the supply? At the moment it would appear that the good people of Warrington have a thirst that exceeds the local climates precipitation. The report has a cover illustrating one of our previous droughts, hope the pool doesn't look like this next year!!

 

9930_1268355390032_1264246400_30809741_8024186_n.jpg

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Geoff, do United Utilities actually own this area?

Seems a strange place to be extracting drinking water, if it's above coal mines won't it be contaminated?

Also, if they do start extracting water regularly and this results in sustained waterlevel reduction the seed banks (feeding areas) will be destroyed. :(

Have you been in contact with the RSPB etc Geoff?

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You have got me thinking now Geoff..... recently UU have installed huge new water pipes round here. They stem from up near Appleton Reservoir and go towards Bridge foot. It wont actually benefit any of the existing homes round here as we are still fed from the existing old mains supplies :?

 

Which leads me to the question WHERE IS all the extra water supposed to come from to feed all these huge new pipes :shock:

 

UUwaterpipes.jpg

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