River Colne Catchment Action Network

Catchment projects

Hover over a numbered spot to see a project summary. Click on a spot to see the full project details. Alternatively view the project list.

The River Misbourne is a chalk stream which flows for 17 miles through the Missendens, Amersham, the Chalfonts and Denham. The Alderbourne runs from near Fulmer and flows for 6.5 miles. Both rivers flow through the Colne Valley Park to join the Colne at Denham and Uxbridge Moor respectively.

The Colne Valley Park is a mosaic of farmland, woodland, water and villages containing 125 miles of watercourse, 167 miles of paths and hundreds of green spaces.

10. Quarrendon Mill – Channel Recreation

Aims: Improve wildlife corridors

This project has improved a 1km stretch of the River Misbourne between Amersham and Quarrendon Mill by creating a new river channel that meanders through an agricultural field before it reconnects back to the existing channel.

9. Invasive Non-Native Species control programme

Aim: Control invasive non-native species; Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors

Volunteers and landowners are working together with the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project (CCSP) to erradicate Himalayan Balsam and Giant Hogweed from the upper Misbourne.

28. Isle of Wight Farm- Restoring the River Misbourne

Aim: Improve wildlife corridors; Manage flow

In several areas along the course of the River Misbourne, the river divides into two channels (generally, the natural channel and a mill leat) and then back again into one channel. One such bifurcation lies at Isle of Wight Farm, to the east of Gerrards Cross. As a result of splitting the flow, neither channel receives sufficient water to clean and oxygenate the gravels for fish to spawn.

7. Misbourne modelling project

Aim: Manage flow; Work together

Project to help increase knowledge of fluvial flood risk in the Misbourne valley.

25. Restoring sustainable river flow

Aim: Improve wildlife corridors; Manage flow; Work together

The River Misbourne between Amersham and Chalfont St. Peter suffers from low flows partly as a consequence of overabstraction for public water supply. Affinity Water plan to reduce abstraction in the this area to restore river flows.

6. Groundwater & flow monitoring

Aim: Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors; Manage flow

Misbourne groundwater and river flow monitoring carried out by Chiltern Society.

4. Chalfont Mill - Willow pollarding

Aim: Improve wildlife corridors; Work together

Management of riverside trees to improve habitat along a heavily shaded section of the R. Misbourne.

5. Chalfont St. Giles - Riverside Path

Aims: Involve people with their local waterbodies

Creation of an access-for-all path alongside the R. Misbourne in the Chalfont St. Giles village centre.

2. Doctor's Meadows, Little Missenden

Aim: Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors; Work together

Project which restored natural chalk stream processes and created wetland features along a 500m reach of the R. Misbourne.

1. Boug's Meadow - Channel restoration

Aim: Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors; Manage flow

An opportunity for flood alleviation, access improvement and education through removal of an existing culvert, realignment of the river channel and installation of a footbridge.

27. Lower Misbourne habitat enhancements

Aim: Improve wildlife corridors; Manage flow; Work together

River enhancements to improve habitat from upstream of the Colne Valley Park Visitor Centre to the confluence with the Colne.

22. Higher Denham habitat enhancement

Aim: Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors; Work together

Local volunteers completed the enhancement of the lower Misbourne near Higher Denham in May 2014, improving habitat for fish and wildlife.

24. Misbourne Water vole monitoring scheme

Aim: Control invasive non-native species; Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve wildlife corridors

Following on from the discovery of water voles along the lower Misbourne a monitoring scheme was set up by BBOWT in 2009.

23. Riverfly monitoring

Aim: Involve people with their local waterbodies; Improve water quality

Volunteers from the Chiltern Society and Misbourne River Action monitor riverflies at 12 sites along the Misbourne. Monitoring began in 2011 and results are posted here.