The sun was out but there was frost on the fields and treacherous ice on the road as we trod our way carefully from the layby to Downton dam. There were 12 of us who met up with 3 from the Environment Agency; we were all interested to hear about its history and use.
We were not disappointed, the previous Monday (Jan 16th) there had been a record level of water in the reservoir which had taken just 6 hours to subside it was closely monitored from their offices in Romsey. You can see from the photo where the high tide mark was. It is the responsibility of the EA to remove the debris left in the area next to the dam and the farmer clears it from his fields.
It was built in just before the millennium, after heavy flooding in Milford and planning permission having been granted to the housing development in Mill Meadow which was the original flood plain for Milford on Sea.
While hearing about the Dam’s history from the EA, we were fortunate to be joined by Matthew Cobb, the farmer responsible for the fields next to the dam. Having lived there for many years he gave us some background to the area and talked about his plans for the farm now that he has given up milk production.
The EA visit the site regularly for routine checks and we saw the workings inside the damn and the technology that allowed them to monitor it.
Finally, we walked over the road to see a open space that was bequeathed to the parish next to the old Hordle cemetery
Many thanks to the Environment Agency team, Matthew Cobb and David Horne for organising this.
Julie Hallows