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Pix Brook
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Pix Brook is a chalk stream in England that flows in a northerly and westerly direction through Letchworth Garden City in Hertfordshire and Stotfold in Bedfordshire to the River Ivel north of Arlesey. It is both urban and rural in character.[1]
Pix Brook is 7.931 kilometres (4.9 miles) in length.[2] When measured in 2022, the brook had a moderate ecological status. Its hydromorphological designation is 'heavily modified',[2] meaning it fails to achieve good ecological status owing to significant man-made alterations to its natural physical character.[3] Environment Agency data gives the Pix Brook a catchment area of 15.505 square kilometres (6.0 sq mi). It is one of twenty water bodies making up the Ivel Operational Catchment.[2] A study published in the mid-1990s described Pix Brook as a shallow stream over a bed of coarse-grained calcareous gravel and sand, noting its 'relatively steep' gradient fall of 2.8 metres (9.2 ft) per km in comparison to the less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) per km fall of the River Ivel.[4]
The Letchworth Sewage Treatment Works operated by Anglian Water discharges treated waste water into Pix Brook.[5]
In Letchworth the brook is culverted through Howard Park, and the roadway of Rushby Mead bordering the eastern edge of the park follows the curves of the brook.[6] At Norton Common local nature reserve mineral-rich springs supply the brook.[7] Pix brook is a part of the great Ouse catchment as well in the [river Ivel] catchment it is in Hertfordshire and ends in Bedfordshire
Colloquially known as 'Dudleys Ditch' the river is the reason why local school Etonbury Academy got the prefix 'eton' (meaning stream).[citation needed] A school named Pix Brook Academy was initially based at Etonbury Academy from 2019 but a year later moved to newly constructed facilities in Stotfold.[8]
Incidents
[edit]Pix Brook flooded on 4 July 2015 with five properties in Stotfold affected. A formal investigation by Central Bedfordshire Council determined the flooding was likely caused by torrential rain over stretching the drainage system, compounded by wood and watercress debris clogging up a culvert trash screen installed earlier that year by The Bedfordshire and River Ivel Internal Drainage Board.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "History". ResillienTogether. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ a b c "Pix Brook | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ "Glossary | Catchment Data Explorer". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ Bubb, I. M.; Lester, J. N. (1 May 1996). "Factors controlling the accumulation of metals within fluvial systems". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 41 (1): 88–89. doi:10.1007/BF00394249. ISSN 1573-2959 – via Springer Nature.
- ^ a b "Flood Investigation Report - Pix Brook, Stotfold" (PDF). Central Bedfordshire Council. 2 October 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 July 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
- ^ Miller, Mervyn (1992). Raymond Unwin: Garden Cities and Town Planning. Leicester: Leicester University Press. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-7185-1363-4.
- ^ Hamilton-Thompson, Abigail (15 September 2024). 50 Gems of Hertfordshire: The History & Heritage of the Most Iconic Places. Amberley Publishing Limited. 40. Norton Common. ISBN 978-1-4456-9341-5.
- ^ Wootton, Doug (14 March 2024). "Pix Brook Academy receives 'good' rating on first Ofsted report". The Comet. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
External links
[edit]ResilienTogether - Helping to shape Pix Brook
51°59′06″N 0°13′37″W / 51.985°N 0.227°W
