From time to time, residents of Hampstead Norreys express their concern about the River Pang and its uncertain flow pattern, often drying up in the Autumn, sometimes returning early the following year but occasionally staying dry for a year or more. All of this is perfectly natural and no longer seriously affected by extraction.

The River Pang is a chalk stream that starts north of the village, the exact starting point varying from year to year because its flow is totally dependent on the level of the underlying water table and the aquifers that feed it. It runs south through Hampstead Norreys and Frilsham before turn east and then north-east through Stanford Dingley and Bradfield to enter the River Thames at Pangbourne (see map). The aquifers are mainly replenished by rain that falls during the Autumn and early Winter. If the topography was linear, as the water table rises, the river would be flowing further and further upstream but natural "ups and downs" along the water course mean that, at times, it may be flowing at some point upstream and be dry further down. The flow below Hampstead Norreys is also supplemented by the output from the sewage works and then by the artesian wells (known as the Kimberhead Springs) that form the Blue Pool near Bradfield, below which point the flow of the river is continuous.

Traditionally, in Hampstead Norreys the river flows from January to September and reaches its peak level around the end of March - any rain falling thereafter is almost all taken up by vegetation growth and evaporation. Any significant downpour may cause a temporary rise in the water level but this quickly returns to its previous state when the rain stops – this was particularly apparent in the Summer of 2007 when the torrential rain of the 20 July caused so much damage, especially around Thatcham. The river overflowed its banks right across the Well Garden but as soon as the downpour eased - it didn't stop completely - the level began to fall and was soon back to its original level.

 

Very heavy rainfall during the Autumn of 2000 and early in 2001 eventually led to flooding along Water Street, and the bridge that links the two parts of the garden at The Well House was some 6" under the water for several weeks. A "bypass" channel was eventually dug across the neighbouring farmer’s field and through the garden of the White Hart back into the river channel. This caused the levels in Water Street to drop almost overnight, showing that the normal course was inadequate to cope with the amount of water trying to come through. Subsequently, it was deemed that the problem was caused in part by silting up of the riverbed and a contractor was employed to remove several inches using a small, tracked digger. Serious doubts have been expressed as to the effectiveness of this action and much of the problem is suspected as having been caused by blockages in the culverts along Water Street and under the bridge outside the White Hart from which the contractors removed a large fibreglass box, part of a disused telemetry system. In addition, the contractor was allowed to dump the silt onto the field next to the river where a few heavy falls of rain would soon have it back where it started!! Nevertheless, all Hampstead Norreys riparians (those owning land adjacent to the river) were forced to contribute to the cost of the work.

 

The river continued to flow throughout the winter of 2001 and stopped for barely 3 weeks in November 2002 before resuming its more usual pattern in 2003 and then going dry in August 2004 for the next 2½ years.In summary, therefore, it is believed that there is no longer any significant extraction. The Pang & Kennet Valleys Countryside Projects was formed in the early 1990s with one of its specific objectives being to put pressure on Thames Water to stop much of their pumping, which was successfully achieved some years ago. The relatively low flow and early drying up that was experienced in 2009, despite the rather miserable Summer was due to the lower amount of rainfall in the Autumn/Winter of 2008. So, if you want to see the river again in the New Year, Autumn is the time to be casting the runes and doing the appropriate dances to get those aquifers topped up!