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Water
Our iconic chalk streams are biologically and economically important and are a beloved part of our Hampshire landscape.
Why is Water so important to CPRE Hampshire?
- Rich Aquatic Ecosystems: Hampshire’s rivers and streams support diverse wildlife, including salmon, trout, dragonflies, and mayflies.
- Vital Aquifers: The region’s aquifers are essential for providing clean water. However, they face challenges from overuse and climate change, which reduce their recharge periods.
- Social and Economic Importance: Rivers in Hampshire play a significant role in local activities such as watercress farming, fish farming, and fly-fishing, contributing to the economy and community life.
- Pollution and Conservation Efforts: Over-abstraction and pollution from sewage, excess nutrients, and household chemicals threaten water quality. Conservation efforts are crucial to protect these water sources.
- Flood Management: Effective catchment management is key to preventing flooding, which is often caused by inappropriate development.
Key issues
- Quantity: As stakeholders for Southern Water, we monitor their Resource, Catchment, and Drought Management plans. Hampshire could face a shortfall of around 192 million litres of water per day by 2035 during droughts.
- Quality: Nutrients like nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) play a significant role in water quality, and planning protocols are essential to manage their impact. The frequency and severity of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are concerning, as is the state of the aged, inefficient wastewater infrastructure, including public sewers, drains, and private septic tanks. Household chemical cocktails also pose a threat.
- Demand: Building regulations (or the lack thereof) are crucial to regulate water demand. The goal is to reduce the average UK water use from 142 litres per person per day (lppd) to 100 lppd (Southern Water’s target) or 120 lppd (Government target). There are also plans for recycling by 2060.
- Behaviour: Misuse of rivers is a significant issue. This includes using riverbeds as driveways, dumping rubbish, and improper disposal of dog flea/pesticide control products.
Our Water Focus Group
CPRE Hampshire’s Water Focus Group monitors water issues and links planning to water management. It represents local views on water issues to national offices and encourages members to consider water in planning applications. They also liaise with other CPRE groups, river managers, trusts, and fishing groups to address water-related challenges.
