The ecology of the River Kent The life-giving rivers of Cumbria, traumatiised . Picture the ecology of our rivers before we inflicted climate change upon them. The Eden, whoever named that river, asked a voice on radio Cumbria as the river blasted Carlisle. What were they thinking of? The blissful garden that John Milton evokes in his poem Paradise Lost? Lost, and we lost it. Eden Bridge is closed, unsafe, no way back to Eden or into Carlisle by Eden Bridge. Like the pedestrian bridge across the Kent that leads to St George’s Catholic Church. Although the Church is open , the churches are welcoming and focused on flood relief
Pedestrian bridge over the River Kent
The big clean-up is underway. From a wing abutting Abbot Hall, workmen rip out contaminated floorboards spiked with nails . All along the riverside the flood has wrecked sections of railing and safety warnings and temporary repairs are red for danger. An abandoned sofa stands on the walkway beside a skip heaped with floor coverings-. Where do you find sandbags in an emergency? On line, iit would seem, but the branding isn’t quite right. Quicksandbags. !
The damage, the numbers of families evacuated, is much greater than at first appeared. It is made visible in all the skips piled high with contaminated goods. The skip piled high is the motif in the aftermath of floods.
The impact on the health of the river is less visible. A friend reported seeing a slick of fuel on the water and that mud where the crayfish, bullhead, minnows and sticklebacks gasped was sewage contaminated sludge. Large tree trunks brought down in the flood now lie stranded. Once the river calms again you can work out how the bed of the river has been changed. Below the weir at Stramongate the river is constricted into a channel by huge beds of stone and shingle brought down in the flood, now dumped in the bed of the river.
There’s litter everywhere, street litter. Kendal is a well-kept town, by and large. I suppose all resources are being ploughed into flood relief, ensuring safety , keeping the roads open. Even so, it will be good to see the streets clean again.
The impact on the health of the river is less visible. A friend reported seeing a slick of fuel on the water and that mud where the crayfish, bullhead, minnows and sticklebacks gasped was sewage contaminated sludge. Large tree trunks brought down in the flood now lie stranded. Once the river calms again you can work out how the bed of the river has been changed. Below the weir at Stramongate the river is constricted into a channel by huge beds of stone and shingle brought down in the flood, now dumped in the bed of the river.
There’s litter everywhere, street litter. Kendal is a well-kept town, by and large. I suppose all resources are being ploughed into flood relief, ensuring safety , keeping the roads open. Even so, it will be good to see the streets clean again.
18th December was yet another day of rain. The dullness of my images tells the story, and a saturated camera strap once I was home again with wet waterproofs to dry out. Goosander are a highlight of the river Kent and the males are so handsome. The position of that shingle bank has shifted and enlarged in the flood.
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