'Chalk streams are fed by groundwater. They rely on autumn and winter rainfall to recharge the aquifer and maintain flows through the year.' 'The water we use every day has to come from somewhere - using water carefully will reduce the stress on chalk stream environments.'
There are many accounts of the decline of the River Kennet from a glorious chalkstream to a slow flowing trickle. Many of these accounts pay particular attention to the Kennet upstream from Marlborough, where the perenial head of the river has steadily moved downstream since the 1930s. One of the best written is this one by G Maurice, entitled 'The passing of a River'.
