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07
Jun 2021
River Nidd turns brown after environmental 'disaster'
The River Nidd has turned chocolate brown amid fears for the lives of thousands of fish following an environmental 'disaster' over the weekend.
Several miles of the Nidd between Gouthwaite reservoir and Hampsthwaite have been affected.
It is believed safety work by Yorkshire Water at Gouthwaite reservoir, which is just north of Pateley Bridge, may have stirred up silt deposits.
A Yorkshire Water spokeswoman said:
John Shillcock, an ecologist who is president of Nidderdale Angling Club, described the incident as an "environmental disaster", the scale of which remained unclear. He added:
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He said Yorkshire Water was excavating a trench as part of a long-term project to install a siphon at Gouthwaite dam to enable it to rapidly reduce water levels in an emergency.
He added it appeared this had churned up 120 years of accumulated silt, which had flowed from the reservoir into the river via the discharge control valves.
Mr Shillcock said the angling club had asked to be kept informed about the works and it wanted to know whether an environmental assessment had been conducted to assess risks ahead of works of this magnitude.
He said the Nidd from the dam downstream was a lovely upland trout and grayling water.
The water, he added had been "crystal clear" and of such quality there had been no need to stock fish for the last three years.
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