Phillip Hewett, who is a member of the River Beane Restoration Association and who organised the walk, said, "The abstraction could be stopped and water could be piped from the Anglia region.  But this would cost money, and there are competing demands. Before making a decision, the Environment Agency need to judge how much benefit it would bring, and a big part of that is judging how many people want the river restored.   Decisions are being taken this autumn, so now is the time to show them just how much our community wants its river back."

Charlie Bell, Hertfordshire Living Rivers Officer with Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, also joined the walk.  She said, "The Beane is, or should be, a chalk stream.  Chalk streams are incredibly rare and special ecosystems - they support a huge variety of plants and animals, but sadly we take them for granted.  It’s time rivers like the Beane were recognized for their national and international importance and properly protected.’  She added, ‘But we can all play our part. The large amount of water we all use in our homes and workplaces is contributing to the problem.  Every litre of water we save is an extra litre that can remain in rivers like the Beane."