Environment Monday - The Barnet Waterways disaster Part 1 - Darlands Lake

Darlands Lake

Let me start with a little bit of background. Why this is so important to me. When I was a small child, the biggest treat that my Dad and my elder brothers could do was to take me fishing. I used to hate our locality as there was nowhere we could fish. The only fishing ponds I was aware of were the Totteridge Long Ponds, but you had to be a member and my Dad, as an outback Aussie, didn't believe in paying for the privelige. So he'd take us to Stanmore Common pond, where there was a legendary big pike and Hunton Bridge in Watford, to catch gudgeon to use as live bait. Why weren't there any decent waters in and around Mill Hill? Then one day, I guess I was around seven and attending St Vincents RC school on the Ridgeway, it was announced that we were going on a very special treat. At a guess, it was probably around April 1969. We were going to do a science project. At first I thought it would be to build a space ship, that was what I thought science was, but we were told that it was far more exciting than that. We were going to go to a very special place and catalog all of the wildlife we could find. I then imagined we'd be going to Africa to see Lions and Tigers. But no, we were told that we had to bring wellies tomorrow as we were going to Darlands Lake. I had never heard of this place. I imagined that a bus was coming and we'd drive for miles, to a huge expanse of water, strecthing as far as the horizon, brimming with basking carp and lurking pike.

Folly Brook

Imagine my disappointment when we were ordered to line up and trudge down the footpath that was by our football field. How could there be anything of interest next to our horrible school. We were armed with notepads and jars to collect "samples". I felt we'd been had. We seemed to trudge for miles,behind the NIMR, through fields filled with mooing heffers, through woods, over streams. As my Dad would never walk anywhere, he'd even drive the 200 yards from home to church on a Sunday, I'd never been on such a walk in my life. At first, I was fed up, but as the rolling vale of the Totteridge Valley unfolded and we entered the woods, I got ever more excited. Eventually we arrived at Darlands Lake. How could I have not known such a place existed. There was an island with a Victorian boating lodge, ducks, swans, wading birds, tadpoles, reeds, dragonflies, and all manner of insects. Whilst my more studios classmates busily got to work, I simply stood taking in the wonder of the scene. How could I possibly not know of this magical place? When I got home, I quizzed my Dad why we'd not gone fishing there? He simply replied "It's a bit of a long walk". My brother Laurie took a different view. He promised to take me for a "big explore" at the weekend. He said he'd show me all the parts that "the teacher didn't know". On Saturday, he was true to his word. We packed some sandwiches and a flask full of a tea. We had one of the most magical days. We caught tadpoles and sticklebacks, found sloworms, he showed me all manner of birds and their nests. We hid in the bushes and saw several small mammals such as voles etc.

Over the years, I went off fishing. I realised that being caught was a bad experience for the fish and decided that unless I was fishing for dinner it was something I didn't want to do. I just enjoyed seeing them in their habitat. At Darlands lake there were many fine carp to be seen basking in the Autumn sun. You'd also see herons and other birds hunting for their dinner. Most of all, I loved the dragonflies though. These have always seemed the most alien and exotic of any species anywhere, and Darlands was full of them.

That is how I learned to love Darlands and The Totteridge valley. These days, we have dogs and we regularly walk that same walk. On a sunny day, it is simply the finest walk you will see anywhere with a London post code. I am always shocked when I speak to Mill Hill residents who have never walked Darlands. To me that would be like buying a television, only to never switch it on and simply to use it as a stand for your begonias. If you live in Mill Hill, your property costs more than if you bought a similar one in Colindale. The reason is that we have places like Darlands a short walk away.

But Darlands is no longer quite the idyllic paradise I first saw nearly 50 years ago. Despite its designation as an important site of natural importance, a resting site for migratory birds and sanctuary and watering hole for all manner of life from mammals, to reptiles and insects, the council has designated it a "low quality open space". The boat house has long gone.

Last summer, the lake dried out completely. All of the fine carp suffocated and died.

A sorry sight. With the recent rain the silted up and dried out Darlands lake is becoming a meadow. Shame on @BarnetCouncil pic.twitter.com/LuL7gZT3Kt

— A Better Mill Hill (@ABetterMillHill) August 19, 2018

I urgently lobbied the council to do something, as it became clear what was going to happen. I asked for a specia meeting of the "urgency committee". I couldn't believe that any council could let such an ecological disaster strike such a site. The leader of the council never even bothered replying. Nearly seven months after that awful disaster struck, we now have the official response of the Barnet Council Tory administration. It is simply unbelievable. They are flogging the whole thing off. The reason is quite simple. When it is off the books, they won't have to answer difficult questions from people like me.

The official story is that they are selling it to a trust set up to administer it. This trust is a rather strange entity. Given the cherished nature of the site, you would think they would be seeking public membership, launching fundraising drives, working with local bloggers to make the whole thing work.

The Charity Commission details the trust on their website. The Trust has a website, but this is simply a picture of some wild flowers.  There are no details at all of the organisation that will be running Darlands.

The Charity Commission website also details the people involved.  It is a fine list of the great and good of Mill Hill and Totteridge. I have no doubt all are well intentioned and are trying to do their best for the community. I would in no way cast aspersions on their motives.

The Trusts objectives are as follows.

Charitable objects TO PROMOTE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC THE CONSERVATION PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE PHYSICAL AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OF DARLANDS NATURE RESERVE.

The Totteridge Residents Association posted an update on their website in October 2018. This doesn't really say very much

Darlands Charitable Trust Update

Once the terms and conditions have been finalised, the serious work of raising funds for the urgent maintenance of the reserve will commence.
If you have registered your interest, the Trust will be contacting you.

The Barnet Eye has been aware of the fact that Barnet Council have wanted to get shot of Darlands Lake for at least two years. The hard right ideology of Barnet Council believes that the public sector should do nothing at all apart from commission other organisations to do things. They believe that anyone can run anything better than a public sector body. Whilst there are all manner of great  companies and third sector bodies managing all manner of things well in the UK, given that Darlands is in crisis, is this really the right time to hand it over to an organisation that has no experience of such a site. Whilst some of the Trustees are members of very well respected bodies, they have presented no plans to the public detailing how they will manage the site and no details of how they will handle the potential issues.

On Saturday, we were made aware of another major challenge they will face. It appears that Folly Brook, which feeds Darlands Lake has become contaminated. We are not sure whether this is raw sewage or something more sinister.

*** Dog Walker Hazard Alert ***
We advise all dog walkers to keep dogs out of Folly Brook. It appears to have become contaminated. We are arranging for this to be tested, but in the meantime advise caution. We also advise washing hands after opening gates etc pic.twitter.com/wl7Li6c9u3

— A Better Mill Hill (@ABetterMillHill) February 16, 2019

Former Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey, who lives in Finchley,  and is an enthusiastic supporter of protection of Waterways, chipped into the debate offering support and help in how to identify the source.

It looks like sewage foam, suspect someone has a miss-connected sewer somewhere which is dumping into the river. Start from that point and walk upstream looking for an outfall or a pipe going into the river. Once located report to the EA, although they’re unlikely to do anything.

— Feargal Sharkey (@Feargal_Sharkey) February 17, 2019

Should this contamination have made its way into Darlands Lake, it could well be that there is a major cleanup operation required, just to make the area safe for people and animals. Clearly if the source of the contamination is identified, then they should be held responsible for the clear up costs, but this could take time to recover and may incur huge costs. As the Darlands Trust are looking to take over the site, they should be actively involved in helping to identify and resolve this issue.

It is vital that water samples are taken from Darlands and surrounding brooks to try and establish the scale of the problem. We really need to start taking the waterways in Barnet seriously. They are hidden gems, many locals being totally unaware of these amazing places. What many don't realise is that Folly Brook is just one small part of a network of waterways. After Darlands Lake, it branches off, and heads through Finchley, past the North Circular, becoming Dollis Brook and through Brent Cross and into The Welsh Harp, where many young people are involved in sailing and kayaking activities. This map shows the network around the lake. You can click on it and trace it through.

Darland Waterways

Water is the most precious resource we have. Well managed waterways are essential. When we let sewage and other contaminants get into the network, the streams and lakes become dangerous sites. Sewage will result in E-Coli that can seriouslly damage not only your dog but your health. When Birds, Rats and other animals use the water supply, they can spread bacteria far and wide. Although it is likely to be dogs, jumping in streams around Darlands that will come into contact with these and present the most risk in these areas, once the stream gets into the more urbanised areas, such as Brent Cross, there is a much greater risk of these bacteria being spread into areas where unsuspecting people may become contaminated.

Folly Brook Contamination

Any contamination of such water supplies is potentially disasterous. We must all be vigilant and report breaches and spillages. Why does this matter? As I entered the footpath next to the pollute Brook, I saw a young family with a soggy cocker spaniel being brought out. I've no idea if it had been in the stream, but if it had, there is a very real risk that the kids that were petting it had been exposed to something very nasty. I woud be a very irresponsible person if I didn't take this seriously.

I do hope that the Darlands Trust have the expertise to manage this area properly, will monitor water quality and draw up action plans to deal with such incidents. I worry that without a robust plan and suitable insurance in place, the well meaning people of the Trust may find that they are personally responsible for a very large bill, when all they wanted to do was make a difference.

My thanks to Laurence Bard at Pond Life Aquatic Centre, Finchley Nurseries, who came down, took water samples and reported the breach to the Environment agency on our behalf. He is a waterways expert, I am not. He explained all of these risks etc.



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