Savick Brook - Izeria

Savick Brook is a watercourse in Lancashire, England, which runs from the outskirts of Longridge westward north of Preston to the River Ribble.

1. Overview

The brook is a tributary of the lower Ribble, with its source on the outskirts of Longridge (around 53.826934°N 2.610376°W / 53.826934; -2.610376), approximately 8 mi (13 km) to the northeast of Preston. It flows westward though the suburb of Fulwood towards and to the south of the village of Lea, where it makes a sharp turn to the south. It then continues on a southerly course and enters the Ribble from the north bank (at 53.7531°N 2.7880°W / 53.7531; -2.7880) approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) west of the tidal basin that marks the entrance to Preston Dock.

1. Geology

Most of the underlying geology for the brook's water basin is Triassic rock consisting of red Sherwood sandstone, with a faulted boundary with the carboniferous rocks to the east of Preston. The upper part of Savick Brook around Longridge lies in a carboniferous area of Millstone Grit. Glacial drift deposits, principally till (boulder clay) also cover much of the area.

1. Tributaries

A number of smaller waterways flow into the brook, including:

Deepdale Brook Eaves Brook Sandy Brook Sharoe Brook

1. Ribble Link

In December 2000 construction began to turn a 4 mi (6.4 km) section of the brook west of Cottom Mill bridge into a navigation canal as part of the Ribble Link, a scheme to connect the previously isolated Lancaster Canal to the River Ribble. Opened in July 2002, the Link has a series of nine locks to allow small craft and narrowboats up to 61.8 ft (18.8 m) in length and 7.5 ft (2.3 m) in width to transit between the two waterways.

1. Water Level and Quality

There are a number of monitoring stations along the brook which measures its water level and at which samples are taken to determine water quality:

1. = Level =

At the Savick Brook Monitoring Station near Highgate Wood, the brook has had an average depth of between 0.77 m (2.5 ft) and 1.26 m (4.1 ft) for 90% of the time since monitoring began. In the twelve months to 19 October 2020, the water level has been between 0.76 m (2.5 ft) and 1.37 m (4.5 ft) for at least 151 days.

1. = Quality =

A survey by the Environmental Agency in May 2001 determined that the waters of the brook were of a poor quality (River Ecosystem Classification 3 and 4 and General Quality Assessment (GQA) grades D and E)(section 4.2), particularly from sewer discharges and overflows. As a result, United Utilities were committed to carrying out a series of improvements to the Preston Sewerage System over the subsequent years to improve water quality through fewer discharges from combined sewer overflows. A study by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (defra) in August 2012 found that the water quality of the brook was:

upper waters - moderate to bad for biological quality, and for chemical quality, good for ammonia and poor for phosphate lower waters - moderate to bad for biological quality, and for chemical quality, mostly good but occasionally poor for ammonia and moderate to poor for phosphate The study also found a noticeable decrease in water quality in wet periods, further deteriorating in the brook's downstream waters. Furthermore, in the May 2001 to September 2011, there was a significant decline in the numbers of rheophillic fish (i.e. barbel, chub and dace). It was defra's belief that the primary contributing factors were agricultural outflows (mostly dairy farming) and sewerage discharges, with a noted rise in consensual sewerage discharges.

1. = Pollution Incidents =

As the brook runs through farmlands and industrial estates there have been historic problems of industrial waste, phosphate and bacteria such as E-Coli and Enterococcus entering the waterway. In early May 2013 a large quantity of waste oil was dumped into the brook and another nearby waterway. On 1 November 2019 it was reported to the Environmental Agency that the brook had been contaminated with what appeared to be a large quantity of cow effluent, polluting 3 km (1.9 mi) of the brook and resulting in a noxious smell being reported in Fulwood. Such incidents have been noted as having an adverse effect upon the fish stocks in the brook.

1. Fishing

Sections of the brook, especially around the confluence with the Ribble, are popular with recreational anglers. A survey by the Environmental Agency in May 2001 determined that the waters of the brook are of a suitable quality for self-sustaining populations of coarse fish, with eleven (11) different species identified:

The survey noted that the brook has a surprisingly high number of fish populations despite the pollution risks from the adjoining farmlands and urban areas, and seems particularly well suited to sustaining chub. Furthermore, it stated that flounder, which is a marine species, utilises the brook extensively as a nursery area.

1. References

Nearby Places View Menu

Ribble Link

The Millennium Ribble Link is a linear water park and new navigation which links the once-isolated Lancaster Canal in Lancashire, England to the River Ribble. The Lancaster Canal was never connected to the rest of the English waterways network, because the planned aqueduct over the River Ribble was never built. Instead, a tramway connected the southern and northern parts of the canal. An idea for a connecting link following the course of the Savick Brook was proposed in 1979, and the Ribble Link Trust campaigned for twenty years to see it built. The turn of the Millennium, and the funds available from the Millennium Commission for projects to mark the event was the catalyst for the project to be implemented, and although completion was delayed, the navigation opened in July 2002. The link is a navigation, as flows on the Savick Brook can be considerable, and there are large weirs and bywashes at each of the locks, to channel water around them. The lower end of the link is tidal, with boats passing over a rotating gate and through a sea lock to gain access. It is open from April to October, but only on certain days, based on the height of the tide, and boats can only travel in one direction on any one day. The cost of construction was nearly twice the original estimate, with just under half of it funded by the Millennium Commission. The project included footpaths, cycle tracks and a sculpture trail, to attract visitors other than boaters to visit it, and to generate economic returns for the local community. Since its construction, maintenance costs have been high, due to voids developing behind some of the lock walls, and the deposition of silt deposited by the incoming tides. Although the link is strictly the canalisation of the Savick Brook, the Ribble Link is also used to refer to the crossing from Tarleton on the Rufford Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, 4 miles (6.4 km) of the River Douglas, the 3.5-mile (5.6 km) journey up the River Ribble and passage along the link to the Lancaster Canal. Completing the crossing requires a little more planning than cruising on inland waterways, as the Douglas, the Ribble, and the first part of the link are tidal, but most boats make the crossing successfully. However, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution have responded to a number of callouts, where the Lytham St Annes lifeboat has had to assist vessels which have got into difficulties.

Fishing Maritime

Old Lea Hall Farmhouse

Old Lea Hall Farmhouse, Lea, Lancashire, England stands on the southern edge of the village, fronting Lea Marsh on the north bank of the River Ribble. The farmhouse dates from the late 16th or early 17th centuries, being the remnant of a much older, and larger, manor house of the de Hoghton family of Hoghton Tower. The farmhouse is a Grade I listed building. Other buildings within the complex have their own listings.

Historic Site Landmark

Lea, Lancashire

Lea ( LEE-ə), Cottam, and Lea Town are villages in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. Together they form the civil parish of Lea and Cottam, which has a population of 5,962. In 2011, the population increased to 6,157.

Landmark Neighbourhood

1.1 km

Tulketh Priory

Tulketh Priory was a priory in Ashton-on-Ribble, Lancashire, England. The priory was the home of a group of Cistercian monks from Savigny Abbey in Normandy until they moved to Furness Abbey in 1127. Tulketh Hall was later built on the site of the priory.

Church Historic Site