Richard Meredith-Hardy, owner of Radwell Mill and member of Revivel, gave us an engaging talk on how the upper reaches of the River Ivel were once healthy enough to support mills at Radwell, Norton and Stotfold. Accompanying his talk with archive images, Richard then moved on to explain the hydrogeology of the Ivel, a chalk stream, and the impact that extraction of water from the chalk aquifer is having on it. With stretches of the river now drying or experiencing very low flows, huge damage is being done to the ecology of the river. Revivel have been conducting an evidence-based campaign to convince Affinity Water and the Environment Agency of this and to propose an alternative way of protecting the river while maintaining water supply. This was a fascinating talk that clearly set out the importance of this local river both in the past and today.
