Rainwater Levels

You might be forgiven for thinking that the stream will flow up through Hughenden Valley this year given the large amounts of rain we have had through the winter period so far. But that may not be the case, and I have enclosed a diagram that may explain things a bit.

The graph shows the readings for the borehole at the bottom of Cryers Hill between November 2024  and the beginning of February 2026. The borehole has equipment which measures and reports on the groundwater level and that is what we see below. The levels detailed on the left of the graph are what are call datum levels; the figures compare to a reference point. So, for us in the valley, a figure of 90.0 metres shows the groundwater levels here are relatively low and the stream won’t be running in the vicinity of the pumping station.

This graph shows that the highest groundwater figures occur towards the end of winter, typically in February. From looking at the figures, when the reading exceeds 91.0 then the stream is likely to be flowing at the pumping station and also further up through the village from Warrendene. From memory, I believe the stream was flowing in the village from December onwards, which is quite early for it to flow. This shows itself on the graph, where the borehole reading was above 91 in December.

At the beginning of February 2026, the graph is on a steep upward slope, but we are still some way short of the 91 metre figure. Beyond the end of February and assuming we get some relief from this rain, then the stream may not rise at all and we also may not see the groundwater levels putting pressure on the sewage system. Maybe we will not see any sewage discharges this year also.

• Warrendene

The last time we saw Warrendene flooding was 18^th December, when again, Warrendene Road became a river. My understanding is that the front of the Harrow was flooded, but that water did not get inside the pub. Since then and despite the large rainfall in recent months, no further flooding of the pub or other property has happened. This goes to show that we can suffer large amounts of rainfall without flooding in the vally, but we simply cannot cope well (at present) with the severe bursts of rain that happen occasionally and which has caused much misery from flooding in the last few years in Warrendene.

• Natural Flood Management Status

We have had a brief update from Andrew Morsley this month on where we are with things:

• The Hughenden Valley project is now on hold while we await the contract to embark on phase 2 – implementation.  Bucks Council are holding some budget that needs to be released and Bucks Council have applied for funding from Regional Floods Committee.  We will then need to do a prioritisation exercise once we know the budget (we should know in March)
• The feasibility report Andrew prepared  for the Bucks Thames Natural Conservation Project  will be available soon for public dissemation.

With regard to Bryants Bottom, who are not covered by the NFM project, Hughenden Parish Council have approved a grant for the village to obtain consultancy from Andrew for him to specify potential work to ease the flooding issues seen there. This is being followed up at present.

• WhatsApp Group

It has been suggested that it might be worthwhile setting up a WhatsApp group for residents who see their properties at risk from the different forms of flooding we can see. This might be from hillside runoff, stream issues, sewage spillages etc.

I have seen a bit of interest if forming such a group. The idea would be to use it in exceptional circumstances such as when flooding may be about to happen or, indeed, has already happened. We would seek to use it really only for emergency purposes. Please let me know if you are interested in joining such a group.

Thanks.

Paul Woodford

2 February 2026

Sewage Issues

There is a back sewer that runs through the Hopkins Farm field that faces onto Valley Road. The sewer then runs along the back of the row of the white cottages through to Boss Ln where there is a junction with the Boss Ln sewer. This sewer had been causing spillages in the farm field and in late January started spilling into the garden of Woodland Cottage on Valley Road.

After many visits by Thames Water, including removal of a partial blockage, a tankering operation and CCTV work, we think this problem is now sorted, although we have not received confirmation of this from TW.

Floods Meeting

We are expecting a community meeting to be finalised for late this month to address the flooding issues in the Warrendene area and Bryants Bottom. This meeting is not a direct replacement for the cancelled meeting with Jilly Jordan but is with Andrew Morsley of the River Thame Conservation Trust, who has been spearheading the Natural Flood Management analysis in our area. There will also likely be representatives from Bucks Council we understand.

We will be putting leaflets through the doors of houses in Warrendene Road as far as Perks, from the Harrow along Valley Rd to the Hopkins field, also in Bryants Bottom. The meeting will be of particular interest to those affected by the flooding but is a public one and other interested residents are very welcome.

Program of Work in Warrendene & Bryants

Work on the Warrendene Rd ditch and drainage network was expected to start the week commencing 23 February but did not. We are presently pursuing this but may be 11-12 March.

Paul

4 March 2025

Warrendene Road Drainage Works

This is scheduled to take place next week starting 23^rd February. My understanding is that the initial focus is on clearance and deepening of the ditch, but they should additionally be jetting the drains as well. I am also hopeful that several reported drainage problems will be resolved at this point. At a later point the road drains will be removed and replaced with larger models.

It will be helpful if you can keep an eye open for any work relating to your own particular issue. I will be visiting several times to see what is happening and will try to check in with James Tunnard during the period of the work.

Sewage Issues near the Village hall

I am glad to say that the garden flooding experienced at Woodland Cottage in Valley Road has been resolved for the present – a partial blockage was found in the back sewer down near its junction with the Boss Lane sewer.

However, Matt Hopkins reports that the levels in that sewer remain high and that TW have indicated that the sewer is overloaded from the park through to High Wycombe. TW are believed to be working to alleviate this.

As a result of this the network is backing up towards Hughenden Valley. Hopefully, this is not a sign of problems to come for us near the village hall. I have checked my inspection pit this morning – it is perhaps 10% full, it was empty this time last week.

               This update only affects residents in the lower end of Hughenden Valley in the village hall aea.

You may have noticed TW and Lanes Drains vehicles have been putting in an appearance quite frequently over the past few weeks.

There is a back sewer that runs through Matt Hopkins’ field that faces onto Valley Road. The sewer then runs along the back of the row of the white cottages through to Boss Ln where there is a junction with the Boss Ln sewer and the one that runs along the back of the houses from Herrison House. The Boss Ln sewer then joins the main sewer in Valley Rd.

Matt had experienced a sewage leak in his field from one of his inspection pits before Christmas and again in January. It has taken several visits to resolve this – a blockage of some sort. Subsequently, one of the white cottages on Valley Rd has been suffering considerable discharge of sewage over a prolonged period in the last few weeks. The garden is seriously flooded but repeated visits by TW have not resolved this problem. Their efforts have essentially diagnosed a ‘Hydraulic Overload’ (too much water) whereas we consider this to be a blockage of some sort.

It is clear that this back sewer is mostly full and what’s more is that this fullness appears to run up to the main sewer and then along to the bus stop opposite the village hall. We are pushing TW to start tankering and investigate what is going on here. They are promising to respond. Our main concern is for them to get a handle on this and ensure that the initial sewage spill is properly resolved and that no other residents are affected. Fingers crossed they get their act together on this.

I have checked my front drive inspection pit this morning and this is quite empty, which is how it should be and suggests the main sewer is running normally. However, this does not accord with TW reporting that the level of the sewer opposite the village hall is high. It may be worth checking the level in your inspection pit.

Rgds

Paul