Geordie Trout - Eco Warrior

What a strange week it has been. No fishing done though. I've been SAVING THE PLANET. well trying to save the Ouseburn river in Jesmond Dene from pollution.

I did have an ulterior motive though. I wanted the river clean enough so it could be stocked with brown trout for me to cast flies at. I had contacted an organisation called Trout in the Town and exchanged a few emails with a bod called Paul Gaskell. One of his emails suggested I gather interested people to help with the work so this I did via the mighty Fly Fishing Forums (see link to the right there). I posted a new thread (calling all North Eastern Flyfishers) on the Sunday, by the Monday I had arranged to meet Jon a flyfishing scientist from Newcastle Uni. We were to meet in the Dene on Wednesday evening and he would take some water samples to check the river for pollution and oxygen levels etc. I was up early on Wednesday morning to walk the Boo Boo (pet dug) as I am want to do. Say hello Boo Boo...

woof

 I noticed some white foam in the Ouseburn just below the house.....

some white foam in a northern stream.

 Then further downstream I noticed some more.....

a bit more white foam in a northern stream.

Under the bridge at Castle Farm Road there was even more of the stuff. 

more of the flipping stuff

 In fact a whole lot more of the stuff. It was all over the river, frothing up and blowing around. I rang the Environment Agency and reported the pollution. Feeling offended by this stuff invading 'my stream' I rang the BBC local news desk and sent them some of the pictures you can see above. I was building up a righteous head of steam by now.

next to the Fishermans Lodge.

 By the time I got to work an Environmental Agency investigation was taking place and an item was added to BBC radio Newcastle news.

the waterfall at the mill.

That evening I met with Jon and he took some samples. Surprisingly the levels of saturated oxygen were good but unsurprisingly the water was full of nitrates, phosphates and other words I don't understand. He didn't seem to think there was much chance of getting trout into the Ouseburn, and I could tell he was thinking I was a bit of a nutter.

Anyways, not one for 'letting it lie' I started a Facebook page (we love jesmond dene. stop polluting the ouseburn) I sent various emails to lots of people (local politicians, national politicians, commander in chief of the western armies) and generally became a pushy resident.

On Friday I spoke with a nice man at the Environment Agency who explained he had traced the source of the pollution to an outlet pipe in the killingworth area and the detergent (as this is what it turned out to be) was no stranger to the Ouseburn. The EA put out a press release to try and get Joe Public to nitch on the polluter.

Who knows? eventually the Ouseburn may be clean enough to support fishyness. If it is remember....You heard it hear first.

It is a crime that pollution is finding its way into the ouseburn. Over 6 million squids have just been spent on rebuilding cafes, paths, and bridges in Jesmond Dene. At least some of it should have been spent on cleaning up the Stream without which the Dene would not exist. This poem sums up the loveliness of the Dene. Ta Ta.

Sweet Jesmond Dene

O, Jesmond Dene! sweet Jesmond Dene!
Fair art thou in thy dress of green!
Thy flowery banks and walks between
Are sylvan beauties, Jesmond Dene
Thy brook that runs with murmuring sound,
Thy leafy glen so peaceful found, Thy wells, thy ruin, Jesumound,
Win heart to thee, sweet Jesmond Dene,
The bridges that throw o'er thy stream
Their span of rustic arch and beam,
Recall to mind some fairy dream,
It must be thine, sweet Jesmond Dene.

T.J. Warby c.1890