Jesmond residents question Dene’s ‘flamboyant’ capabilities for rainfall
Jesmond residents have taken stock of how the Ouseburn coped with high rainfall earlier this month.
In early February, the roaring Ouseburn River impressed Jesmond Dene’s visitors. The river’s water level and velocity rose significantly.
Fiona Clark, chair of Jesmond Community Orchard, who visited the waterfall on February 3rd, told JesmondLocal: “This is probably the fullest waterfall I’ve ever seen it in my 73 years.”
Caroline Bradshaw, who has lived near Jesmond Dene and gone to the dene five or six times a week, said the same day was the first time she has seen the waterfall split into four parts. “I got soaked from the spray,” she said.
Amazed by its thunder and magnificent scene, many visitors recorded the roaring waterfall and shared the videos on the internet. “It was the most flamboyant I’ve ever seen it,” said Liz Hammer, who visited the waterfall on the afternoon of February 3rd.
“You could hear it roaring from Paddy Freeman’s Park,” said Rebecca Beeby, who walked her dog in the Dene on February 6th.
Ben Ponsford, a software engineer and regular visitor of the Dene, sent some footage of the Ouseburn River to the Environment Agency. According to their reply, it was the highest water level of the Ouseburn River that has been so far this winter.
Historical data on the Ouseburn River’s water level on the website of River Level shows a peak on February 4th.
However, it did not surpass the highest level from 2013, which was on 16th March 2013, nor another peak water level in 2016.
Although the rushing river seems a little muddy, smells unpleasant sometimes in the summer, and some floating litter can be seen, Gary Smith, 61, a housing support officer, told JesmondLocal “actually the Ouseburn River is essentially clean as they stopped sewage going in years ago.”
According to Tyne Catchment Partnership, sewage discharge, rural diffuse pollution from poorly stored nutrients, drainage from housing and other industrial, high rain-fall events, development for Newcastle Airport or urban areas can be threats to the Ouseburn River’s water quality.
Tyne Rivers Trust, together with its partners and volunteers has been committing itself to improve the environment of the Ouseburn River in recent years.
Smith remembers when he was a child, the river “was an open sewer,” he said, “black like watered-down oil. I used to get told off for playing there because it was so dirty.
“On a summer’s day, you could smell the Ouseburn River and Tyne halfway across Byker. It would have been cleaner upstream but chemicals off local farmland around Benton and Forest Hall undoubtedly ended up in the stream.”
Lee Fox, who works with renewable green energy sources and visits the Dene as often as he can, also thinks the Ouseburn River is healthier now. “I’ve seen otters and [a] kingfishers’ nest in the wall behind Seven Stories,” Fox said.
“Next time I’m down there I’ll take a picture of the Kingfisher nest entrance in the stone wall. I think only the Kingfisher and me know its location.”
Given more than a week’s sustained rainfall, the swelling of the Ouseburn River is reasonable.
On February 6th, Katie Watson, a former military police officer and now an NHS Chaplain, came across a “temporary waterfall” rushing from the Great North Road bandstand of Exhibition Park, flowing to the underpass to Jesmond – which blocked her cycle route.
Watson ended up changing her route and getting her socks and shoes totally soaked.
The rainfall caused a wet environment in Jesmond. On February 7th some ponds could be seen in Jesmond Community Orchard. The water in a sewer of St Andrews Cemetery was also going up.
Some people were worried about the flooding of the Ouseburn River or other places of Jesmond.
But according to the river level record and weather forecast, the river flood risk is low at least before March. In recent weeks, the Ouseburn River has been much calmer, still fascinating its visitors with its beautiful sights.
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