TICP Catchment Action Plan 2019

© T. Davis

TEST & ITCHEN CATCHMENT PARTNERSHIP CATCHMENT ACTION PLAN

Foreword

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1.0 Introduction

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1.1 Catchment Based Approach 1.2 Test & Itchen Catchment Partnership 1.3 Catchment Action Plan

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2.0 Our Vision

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3.0 Catchment Facts and Figures

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3.1 Land use & Population 3.2 Wildlife & Landscape Designations 3.3 Ecosystem Services

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4.0 What are the issues?

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4.1 Water Quality 4.2 Water Quantity 4.3 Channel & Habitat 4.4 Recreation & Community Engagement 4.5 Resilience

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5.0 What is already happening?

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5.1 Key plans and strategies 5.2 Flood and water management plans 5.3 Wildlife and water-related projects

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6.0 Partnership Actions

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6.1 Water Quality 6.2 Water Quantity 6.3 Channel, Habitat & Biodiversity 6.4 Recreation & Community Engagement

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7.0 Summary

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8.0 How to get involved

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Protecting the Test and Itchen rivers and their catchment and the issues, pressures and challenges that affect this unique water environment is vitally important to many individuals and local organisations in the Hampshire area.

While the catchment has a legacy of good partnership projects to build upon, to make a real difference there needs to be an integrated approach to sharing knowledge and delivering improvements that will protect the Test and Itchen for the long term.

The Catchment Based Approach is DEFRA’s solution to help support a more integrated system. It involves local communities and organisations in decision making by sharing evidence, listening to ideas, working out priorities and seeking to deliver actions that address local issues in a cost effective way.

By working together we can take the necessary steps to deliver the improvements needed to protect and enhance our local river catchments.

Martijn Antheunisse Director Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust

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Debbie Tann Chief Executive Hampshire & Isle Of Wight Wildlife Trust

The ‘Catchment Based Approach’ is part of the UK’s solution to improving the Chemical and Ecological Status of our waters under the European Union’s Water Framework Directive. DEFRA recognises the value of bringing local stakeholders together under a single umbrella to collectively agree and deliver actions. The Catchment Based Approach policy framework will see issues being identified and tackled at a much more local level, giving local stakeholders the opportunity to get involved with planning and delivery of environmental improvements.

Throughout England, Catchment Partnerships have been established under the Catchment Based Approach and many have developed catchment plans which guide the work of the partnerships, and help to inform largerscale strategic plans that the Environment Agency develops for each of the 11 River Basins Districts in England & Wales. These River Basin Management Plans set out the priorities and actions to deliver Good Ecological Status (or Potential) to be implemented throughout the management cycles of WFD, up to the end of the third management cycle in 2027.

However, CaBA is about much more than just complying with the Water Framework Directive. It provides an opportunity for those individuals and organisations who have an interest in the rivers, lakes and groundwater bodies, as well as those whose activities benefit from them, or have the potential to impact upon them, to come together: to highlight issues, identify priorities and participate in delivery of actions to address them.

The Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust (WCSRT) and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) are co-hosting the Catchment Partnership, with funding from DEFRA and others sources to develop this action plan and co-ordinate delivery of the actions proposed in it. A core group of key delivery organisations representing fishery and wildlife interests, farming and aquaculture, the water industry, local authorities and the government environmental bodies has been set up to direct and steer the Catchment Partnership.

Participation from communities and interest groups is crucial to the Catchment Based Approach, so the Catchment Partnership engages with a wide range of stakeholders by drawing upon the network of contacts of its constituent members. This enables local stakeholders to feed their views into the partnership and help deliver action on the ground.

The partnership has already worked with a wide range of stakeholders including; local authorities, the watercress and fish farming industry, fisheries groups, riparian owners, land managers and farmers, and throughout 2017 has been engaging widely with stakeholders in the headwaters of the catchment regarding the development of a potential lottery project to be delivered in partnership from 2018, pending a successful funding bid.

The aim of the Catchment Action Plan is to set out the actions, agreed by the partnership, that will deliver the environmental improvements needed to work towards achieving the partnership’s shared vision for the catchment. The aim of the Catchment Action Plan is to set out the actions, agreed by the partnership, that will deliver the environmental improvements needed to work towards achieving the partnership's shared vision for the catchment. The plan will also help us to achieve Water Framework Directive objectives. It is designed at the river catchment scale, thereby requiring partners to consider river processes both upstream and downstream of their own local or administrative boundaries for the benefit of the whole catchment.

The plan looks mainly at five broad problems in our catchment; water quality, water quantity, 'Channel, Habitat & Biodiversity', and recreation. Within each of these themes, the plan identifies the main issues, actions being delivered to address these and opportunities for the catchment partnership to deliver improvements. Further information, actions and delivery mechanisms for each priority projects, outlined in the 'What is already happening?' section of this document, is found on our website. These will frequently be updated as projects progress.

If after reading this plan you, your local group, community or organisation would like to get involved in this work as it moves forward, please make contact through our website (www.ticp.org.uk).

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The Partnership’s vision is of healthy rivers within the catchment which are valued and nurtured by residents, businesses and the wider community and which exhibit: o High water quality and sustained natural flows. o Sustainable and naturally abundant wildlife. o Fully functioning ecosystems which link the rivers with their valleys. o Resilience to climate change and future stresses associated with social and economic development.

We will seek to see our ambitions realised by: o Committing to Working together to achieve better outcomes for the water environment of the Test & Itchen o Seeking to ensure that the ecosystem services provided by our rivers are recognised and valued in decisions about land and water management o Developing a shared understanding of the issues facing the catchment, and a shared ambition to take action to resolve them o Developing our own measures of success framed around enhancement of the ecology of the chalk rivers and the recognition of their importance by all who benefit from them.

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drains approximately 1,760 square kilometres of land, in the county of Hampshire, with both rivers rising from springs on the chalk downs at their respective sources near Ashe and Hinton Ampner, before flowing through predominantly rural parts of the county, until they reach a shared estuary in Southampton Water.

Dominated by chalk covering 80-90% of the catchment, the Test & Itchen is comprised of large, mostly confined, aquifers that provide the majority of flow to both rivers and drinking water for the catchment and surrounding areas.

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The Test and Itchen is a largely rural catchment and the majority of land, approximately 1,100 sq. km or 62%, is used for farming. The main agricultural activity, accounting for 80% of agricultural land, is arable farming and includes the production of wheat, barley, oats and oil seed rape. There are also a number of mixed farming and livestock enterprises, most of which are concentrated in the lower catchment and the river valleys.

The river valleys are also home to the watercress industry, which relies on plentiful supplies of high quality spring water for its watercress growing operations.

The main centres of population within the catchment are Southampton, Andover, Winchester, Eastleigh and Romsey. The catchment population is approximately 725,000 (2011 Census) with the highest population densities in Southampton, which creates significant pressure on water resources and increased levels of pollution entering the Southampton Water.

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In terms of both landscape and biodiversity, the catchment contains a number of sites of local, national and international importance, with a diverse range of habitats supporting a rich variety of species.

To the east, a substantial part of the upper Itchen catchment is included in the South Downs National Park and similarly, most of the Bourne Rivulet catchment and part of the upper Test catchment is within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The river valleys themselves also attract a number of statutory designations that reflect the importance of their unique chalk river systems and the diversity of species they support. Significant portions of each of the Test and Itchen Rivers are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as well as large swathes of the floodplain. In addition, the River Itchen is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EC Habitats Directive, recognising the international importance of chalk river habitat and the species it supports.

The current configuration of the river is the result of reengineering for land drainage, water mills, water meadows and navigation over a long period of time. These functions have long gone, as has the associated income that paid for the maintenance of the complex river system, which is now semiderelict in parts. There are many relict weirs and control structures along the river and several reaches where the already modest gradient was removed to maintain a head of water to power waterwheels or to spill water into the meadows. These man-made features are part of our industrial and agricultural heritage but can be in conflict with aspirations for a fast-flowing, silt-free river.

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Ecosystems services can broadly be described as the benefits we receive from the natural environment. Unlike the traditional geographic units that have been used to manage society, such as parish, borough and county boundaries, river catchments offer a natural management unit (a hydrological ecosystem) from which to identify the mechanisms via which the natural environment provides benefits to society.

We derive an array of ecosystems services from our river catchment landscapes, including:

o The provision of clean drinking water o The disposal of waste water o The regulation and attenuation of water e.g. flood water storage in extreme rainfall events o Habitats for wildlife o Water supply for Industrial abstraction o Agriculture o Aquaculture & fisheries o Shellfisheries o Culture and recreation, particularly recreational angling o Port activities o Power generation

Š SDNPA

However, over the past century our catchment ecosystems and the services they provide have come under increasing pressure from conversion of natural habitats, pollution of land and water, exploitation of terrestrial and freshwater resources, invasive species and climate change. The result is that the provision of the ecosystems services we depend on has been skewed in favour of the production of food, fibre and fuel to the detriment of many other vital services.

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A healthy water environment is essential in preventing further development of this trend and for sustaining the on-going delivery of ecosystems services.

© Charlotte Rose

For WFD monitoring / reporting purposes, the Environment Agency divides the Test and Itchen catchment into a number of individual waterbodies. For rivers, canals, lakes, transitional and coastal waterbodies, the ecological and chemical status of each waterbody is assessed, with the results giving rise to an overall classification of ‘Good’, ‘Moderate’, ‘Poor’ or ‘Bad’ overall status. For groundwater, a quantitative and a chemical status are used to give rise to an overall status.

The progression of waterbody classification over time can be reviewed by using the Environment Agency ‘Catchment Data Explorer’ interactive tool at: http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchmentplanning/ At present, approximately of waterbodies within the Test and Itchen catchment are not meeting Good Ecological Status. These waterbodies are failing for a range of Water Framework Directive elements such as, fish, invertebrates and phosphate, amongst a number of other reasons, demonstrating the breadth of pressures facing the catchment.

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Nitrogen and phosphorous containing compounds are natural and vital components of a healthy aquatic ecosystem. However, when released into the environment as a result of human activities, they can alter the finely balanced equilibrium of nutrients cycling through the ecosystem and drive the uncontrolled and unbalanced growth of aquatic plants and algae in a process called eutrophication. This can lead to severe problems for aquatic organisms, the ecological health of a waterbody and for humans who also depend on the water for drinking, recreational use or the production of food such as watercress and fish.

In 2009, the Environment Agency (EA) initiated its’ ‘Rural Sediment Tracing Project’ (RSTP), with the aim of identifying and classifying catchment sources of fine sediment inputs to streams and rivers within 11 priority catchments, which were failing for salmon and where fine sediment was a known problem. The Test & Itchen Catchment was one of those priority catchments.

Turbidity is a measure of how much suspended material there is in water. There are many factors that can cause turbidity to increase but the most common is the presence of soil and mineral sediments in the water column. These materials are often released following disturbance of the river or lake substrate, but they can also enter the water as a result of erosion and run-off from the land. Increased turbidity results in significant ecological impacts by blocking the penetration of light to aquatic plants, clogging the gills of fish and other organisms and by smothering benthic habitats. It can also increase the intensity and cost of treating water for drinking.

The aims for this project are to deliver on-the-ground action to reduce the existing high levels of fine sediment entering the river channels within the Test and Itchen Catchment.

Excessive levels of fine sediment in the Test and Itchen are contributing to pressures on the health of aquatic ecosystems and the provision of clean drinking water.

Microbial pollutants, derived from human and animal faecal matter, pose a significant risk to human health, either when people come in contact with the river or bathing waters and when contaminated water is abstracted for drinking water treatment. They can also have severe negative impacts on the ecological health of the river by increasing turbidity and reducing the levels of dissolved oxygen. The main mechanisms by which faecal material, parasites and faeces-derived substances enter the water course are from, direct ‘voiding’ into the water by livestock, leaching from manure and slurry stores and from consented and unconsented discharges of human sewage.

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© Ali Morse

Chemicals used to kill and control ‘pest’ organisms are commonly referred to as ‘pesticides’. When used with care, they can deliver substantial benefits including; the availability of good quality, reasonably priced food and well managed urban environments.

However, despite these benefits it is essential to note that large amounts of pesticides often miss their intended target and are lost into the environment where they can contaminate nontarget species, air, water and sediments. By their very nature, pesticides can pose a significant threat to ecosystem health, biodiversity and human health if they are not used with appropriate care and consideration.

To date, there has been no systematic approach to tackle sediment pathways on a catchment wide scale in the Test and Itchen Catchment. The Sediment Pathways Project will deliver mitigation measures targeted at the most heavily impacted parts of the catchment. We are currently in the stage of the project where we are performing walkover surveys of various parts of the catchment to find out where interventions would be best applied. We will then grade the severity of the impacts to the river in these places and start to plan and put into place mitigation measures to reduce the risk.

The Test & Itchen supply much of Hampshire’s public water needs, including a large proportion of the Isle of Wight’s requirements. There are a number of significant surface water abstractions as well as groundwater abstractions from the chalk. The catchment also supports a large number of commercial fish farms and watercress growers who are dependent on reliable and abundant water supplies. Although the majority of abstraction is non-consumptive and returns water locally the overall impact of abstraction puts pressure on flows and can potentially lead to rivers not having enough water to support a healthy ecosystem.

With changes in climate affecting rainfall patterns and larger areas of land being covered for development and thus losing their natural ability to drain water, flooding has become an increasingly apparent issue in recent years. Groundwater flooding is a particular problem for many parts of the catchment and following heavy rainfall events it is often exacerbated by surface water flooding.

There is a strong emphasis on partnership working and community involvement in the existing plans to tackle flood risk and management. The TICP could be well placed to help develop the community aspects of these plans, particularly working with landowners and riparian owners to develop natural flood risk management measures such as strategic woodland and wetland creation.

Chalk streams and their associated floodplains are heavily modified systems, historically managed to supply water to water meadows, mills and fish farms through a complex system of carriers and leats. Whilst many of these original activities are no longer practiced, the continued use of the numerous structures within the catchments has a great influence on the character of the rivers and both positive and negative impacts upon their associated biodiversity. Sensitive water level management can create inundated wetlands supporting a wide range of locally rare species, whilst poor management can result in prevention of fish passage, mobilisation or deposition of silt and nutrients, and low flows to the detriment of healthy ecosystems.

Similarly, the TICP could help deliver the wider benefits to biodiversity, natural processes, amenity etc., that are considered to be an important part of accessing funding from central and local government, to deliver flood risk management improvements.

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: In channel weirs and structures are generally linked to negative impacts on the physical and ecological condition of the river. In addition to altering the depth and velocity of flow, structures can also impact on the biological connectivity of the river by limiting fish and invertebrate passage. This can have far reaching impacts upon migratory fish species within transitional and coastal environments.

The Test and Itchen catchment has historically been subject to intensive management, and many of these management activities continue today. Within the rivers and floodplains, inappropriate vegetation management practices can impact on the diversity of riparian habitats, causing over widening of sections and impeding the river’s ability to restore its natural features.

Traditional chalk stream flora and fauna faces increasing pressure from a range of non-native invasive species that have taken hold within the catchment, including Himalayan Balsam, American mink and most recently the American signal crayfish. Furthermore, dominance of invasive plants can result in increased bankside erosion and sediment input from the riparian environment. In addition, to negative impacts from non-native invasive species, flora and fauna characteristic of chalk streams are threatened by issues including quality and quantity of water, and a decline in habitat availability and connectivity.

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The Test & Itchen River Restoration Strategy was involved in a collaborative project to restore the river. At Bossington Estate, one of the largest impounding structures on the Test was removed, restoring the river through removing silt, narrowing, bed raising and re-instating meanders.

A total of 800m of channel was restored at Bossington Estate. Reducing the water level by removing the structures also allowed the banks to be lowered. In many places these had historically been built up with dredged material from the river, creating a ridge along the bank top. Removing this ridge and re-profiling the banks to a more natural gradient has reconnected the river with the flood plain and created an additional area of flood storage. As if to give a seal of approval to the whole project, salmon were seen spawning on the newly introduced gravel upstream of the old structure only weeks after the project had finished.

Š Environment Agency

Chalk streams have been historically modified to suit a variety of human purposes such as agriculture, fisheries, flood risk management and the development of watercress beds and mills. The various modifications have altered the natural character of the river and led to systems being potentially overwidened, over deepened, impounded and disconnected with the floodplain.

The main issue comes in seeking to balance the sensitivity of valuable nature conservation areas with the potential stresses and disturbance of public access, whilst also recognising the importance of open green spaces in maintaining the health, well-being and quality of life of local communities in the catchment.

Hampshire’s chalk stream headwaters have been harnessed and lived with for thousands of years, shaping and shaped by human activity. This has created a unique landscape, which is as much a product of human as well as natural history. From the development of the first settlements, supplying our drinking water and the use of the streams for business and recreation, the headwaters are an integral part of the landscape and our natural heritage in the catchment – our history, culture, geography and economy as well as our ecology. Modern pressures put this heritage at risk: changes in land management practices, climate change, increases in population, the need for water and recreation all threaten the intrinsic character and quality of these headwaters.

Š Lou Sykes

Since people are the main drivers for recreational resource, recreational infrastructure will generally be greatest in and around areas with a high population density. In this catchment these are Southampton, Andover, Winchester, Eastleigh and Romsey. In the 2011 census the residential population of Southampton was recorded at 236,900, a 8.9% increase on the 2001 census population. A mid-year estimate of the population in 2016 was recorded at 254,275. As the populations in the catchment increase, so do the pressures on provision of recreational infrastructure.

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Climatic models suggest that average summer air temperatures in the UK could rise by up to 4°C, summer rainfall will decrease by 20% and winter rainfall could increase by 17%. River temperatures reflect changes in climate, and so water temperature is expected to rise by a similar amount as the air temperature. Predicting future flows is very difficult and has a high level of uncertainty, but the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology suggests that there will be a 20% reduction in summer flows and a 20% increase in winter flows. This seemingly-small change in temperature could have a significant impact on freshwater species by affecting the physical, chemical and biological processes that occur within freshwater systems – this means that the plant, insect and fish populations of the Test and Itchen Rivers are likely to be adversely affected by these changes.

Although Hampshire’s Chalk Rivers are fed by cool groundwater, water temperatures in the lower river can rise above 20°C in periods of hot weather, usually peaking in July. The difference between daily minimum and maximum temperatures can be as much as 3°C.

Increasing the resilience of the catchment to changes in weather and climate is an essential requirement for future projects and developments.

Keeping Rivers Cool is an Environment Agency led climate change adaptation project that aims to use shade from trees to keep small rivers cool. Given the strong relationship between air and water temperature, there is ample evidence that shade provided by bank side trees and overhanging vegetation maintains cooler water temperatures, and limits extremes in temperature range at a site. Riparian woodland has a double-whammy advantage of both providing shade and limiting bank erosion at the same time.

Using LiDAR data, shade maps (above) were developed to identify target sites for planting. The Test & Itchen Catchment Partnership are working to deliver 'Keeping Rivers Cool' alongside a range of other complimentary projects.

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In addition to the information on designated sites and WFD data, there is a considerable body of work, both past and present, which has been undertaken to address issues across the whole catchment or within certain individual waterbodies.

The Partnership has undertaken a review of the activities and actions contained in these various plans and strategies in order to highlight the main issues and pressures on the water environment and to identify where the Partnership might be most effective in delivering actions that will lead to environmental improvements; potentially by working within the remit of existing projects or plans, or by working alongside them to undertake those activities not already being delivered.

Š Maggie Shelton

The Environment Agency’s South East River Basin Management Plan provides an overarching view of current status and actions required to meet the obligations of the Water Framework Directive. The plan, published in 2016, outlined a handful of key actions for the Test and Itchen Catchment.

Southern Water provide public drinking water supply to most of the catchment. Their Business Plan (2015-2020) contains the actions they will take to maintain and improve this service. Through customer research in the development of the plan, it was identified that customers value looking after their environment, including reducing abstraction and pollution events. This in addition to other values informed actions included in the Plan.

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Water Companies plan their resource management activities on a 25 year basis, updating plans every 5 years. The plans seek to balance supply and demand, whilst taking into

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© Charlotte Rose

The strategy aims to provide an overall strategic direction for local flood risk management for the next fifteen years. It is seen as the first step in a continuous process of understanding flood risk management and securing funding to deliver improvements to local flood risk management.

The strategy includes a county-wide risk assessment of fluvial, coastal, sewer, surface water and groundwater flooding.

In addition to the description of generic measures, there is also a separate Action Plan, which contains 248 ward-specific action plans, each of which contains a risk assessment for the ward and a proposal of site-specific measures to improve flood management.

There is a strong emphasis, in the strategy and the action plan, on developing partnership working between authorities, agencies, other interested parties and community groups.

Similarly, the strategy highlights the importance of delivering multiple benefits (e.g. to biodiversity, natural processes and amenity) to attract funding from local and national government.

each area and provide a review of existing mitigation measures, as well as suggesting a range of additional site- specific measures, with a particular emphasis on community engagement in delivering actions and building awareness. Hampshire County Council have also been piloting the ‘Parish Lengthsmen Scheme’ which allows for a local level of maintenance responsibility, for road and land drainage, and can help with reporting during flood incidents.

account costs to the consumer and to the environment. After a period of consultation, Southern Water’s plan was published in October 2014. In the Company’s ‘Western Area’ which includes Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, there are challenges faced in achieving this balance. The plan includes a commitment to reviewing the options currently proposed to secure water resources in this area, to ensure that the most appropriate schemes are selected.

The plan provides settlement-specific action plans for a short list of 10 Hampshire settlements seen to be at most risk from Groundwater flooding. Within the Test & Itchen Catchment there are Settlement Action Plans for 4 of the 10 high risk areas in the County; including, Kings Worthy, Appleshaw, Bourne Rivulet Villages and Preston Candover. The settlement action plans provide a risk assessment of groundwater flooding for

This Licensing Strategy sets out how water resources are managed in the Test & Itchen CAMS area. It provides information about where water is available for further abstraction and an indication of how reliable a new abstraction licence may be. In the Test catchment there is only water available for abstraction at high flows with any reliability but there is a restricted amount of water available at mid flows. In the Itchen catchment future abstraction is restricted to very high flows. There is a presumption against issuing new consumptive licenses from the Chalk of the Test and Itchen. The Restoring Sustainable Abstraction (RSA) process is also ongoing to review those existing abstraction licences which may be damaging the environment. The strategy sets out the approaches to be taken in specific areas of the catchment. Under the Restoring Sustainable Abstraction programme, the Environment Agency is changing two water company licences and three fish farm licences on the Itchen. It also takes any opportunity to reduce or recover under-used or unused licences.

This is an area shaped by the two river valleys, their tributaries and winterbourne reaches, giving rise to a landscape of distinctive wetland habitats which support a rich diversity of wildlife, as well as heritage industries, villages and their communities. Hampshire’s chalk stream headwaters have been harnessed and lived with for thousands of years, shaping and shaped by human activity.

Natural England has developed a nationally consistent standard for the provision of open space called the Accessible Natural Green Space Standard (ANGSt). ANGSt is a useful measure for determining the provision of open space in the wider landscape, as its standards apply specifically to natural green space, but it is widely accepted that it is not easily applied to dense urban environments where open space is more likely to be provided via parks and playing fields rather than high quality natural green space. Most importantly, this driver for recreational resources is entirely located where there are people to use them.

Modern pressures put this heritage at risk: changes in land management practices, climate change, increases in population, the need for water and recreation all threaten the intrinsic character and quality of these headwaters. Led by the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, our partnership intends to take action to sustain this headwater landscape for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations. An inspiring programme of learning, community involvement and landscape restoration, working alongside farmers, landowners, communities and visitors will enable us to share understanding, engender pride and develop the necessary skills to care for this precious landscape.

© Maggie Shelton

The Test & Itchen River Restoration Strategy focuses on the in-channel and riparian restoration necessary to support chalk stream flora and fauna, achieve the SSSI favourable condition required to fulfil the requirements of numerous legislative drivers, improve climate change resilience, and to secure the wider commercial and amenity value and the ecosystem services provided by the two rivers. It defines River Restoration as “measures that are designed to return the physical form (morphology) of the river and the subsequent ecological features present, back towards their

The Heritage Lottery Fund Project: Watercress and Winterbournes focuses on the headwaters of two of the UK's most iconic chalk rivers, the Test and the Itchen.

© Charlotte Rose

This plan is dedicated to addressing diffuse pollution across the riverine and coastal SSSI units in the Test and Itchen Catchment. It calls for the continuation of the existing land management schemes, shown below, and also identifies a need for further evidence to secure future mechanisms to reduce diffuse pollution. In addition to looking to build a stronger evidence base it sets out a number of ‘on the ground’ actions aimed at a range of stakeholders, including the agricultural sector, fisheries managers, watercress farming, local authorities and residents.

natural condition”. Actions have been identified which tackle the reasons for adverse conditions of the SSSI, and which were confirmed by the key findings of a walkover survey. Reaches were assessed and recommendations made to either restore, rehabilitate, or conserve and enhance.

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The Countryside Stewardship Scheme provides financial incentives for land managers to look after their environment by engaging in activities such as: o o o o o o

Flood Risk Management Woodland creation and management Conservation and restoration of wildlife habitat Reducing water pollution from agriculture Preserving the character of the countryside Restoring or maintaining features important to the heritage of the landscape o Encouraging educational access

© Lawrence Brodley

Administered by Natural England, it is open to all eligible farmers, foresters, woodland owners and other land managers. It is a competitive scheme suitable for many land uses (conventional and organic farm, coastal areas, woodland and uploads). Applicants are scored against local priority targets to maximize environmental benefits.

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) is a project run

by Natural England in partnership with the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It works with farmers and a range of other partners to improve water and air quality in high priority areas. CSF offers farmers free training, advice and support for grant applications. The selected areas are called

priority catchments. The aim of the advice is to improve the environmental performance of farms. CSF is staffed by trained, qualified and experienced advisors.

This plan is part of Hampshire County Council’s ‘Rights of Way Improvement Plan’ and looks at the rights of way network across the catchment as well as other opportunities for people to enjoy the countryside. It identifies a series of issues and the necessary actions to address them. One of the key issues relates to demand for more access to, along and on waterways.

Suggested actions include options to enhance existing access and increase opportunities through events.

o Rural Sediment Tracing Project – Environment Agency o Anglers Monitoring Initiative - Riverfly Partnership o River Catchment Invertebrate Fingerprinting Programme – Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust o South Downs National Park (SDNP) Collaborative Nitrate Modelling Project – SDNP Authority o Development of a Catchment Management Strategy – Portsmouth Water o Winnall Moors Project - Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

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Sediment Pathways: Reduce the amount of fine sediment reaching the watercourse.

Phosphate and Non-mains sewerage: Raise awareness of negative implications of phosphate pollution from domestic waste water and of poorly managed private sewerage. Promote best practice with regards to both.

Water Friendly Farming: Engage with landowners and farmers to support existing work to mitigate soil, nutrient and pesticide loss. Particularly with regards to groundwater.

Š WCSRT

Anglers Monitoring Initiative: Engage with anglers and local communities to increase coverage or existing river fly monitoring programme.

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Watercress Exemplar: Work with a watercress grower to deliver improvements to the management of sediment and nutrients, and facilitate best practice sharing.

Water Efficiency: Work with water companies to help deliver water efficiency campaigns.

NEP/Resilience: Work with abstraction license holders to deliver river restoration works that will improve resilience to low flows.

Co-ordinate water level management: Facilitate communication and agreement between water level managers.

Š SDNPA

Natural Flood Management: Increase water attenuation with strategic woodland and wetland creation.

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Š Ali Morse

Water Temperature: Enhance delivery of 'Keeping Rivers Cool'.

White-Clawed Crayfish Conservation: Support habitat enhancement, promote biosecurity, and facilitate captive rearing initiatives.

Invasive Species: Help expand and add value to existing INNS initiatives.

On-line Lake Restoration: Investigate the feasibility of schemes to reduce the impacts of on-line lakes, such as sediment stabilisation or 'off-lining' and secure resources for implementation.

Floodplain Management: Work with and support land managers including via the promotion of traditional management measures.

River and Floodplain Restoration: Explore collaborative opportunities to deliver river restoration works, with a focus on the restoration of natural processes.

Š Lou Sykes

Migratory Fish: Deliver enhancement of juvenile and spawning habitat, and secure fish passage via removal of modification of structures where possible.

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Community Catchment Planning: Support local landowners, community groups and others in taking an active role in enhancing and managing their local catchments.

Built Heritage Restoration: Seek opportunities to preserve or restore historic structures, both for heritage value and where they may play a role in environmentally beneficial management (e.g. managing wetlands, providing flood attenuation).

Getting Hooked: Engage young people in chalk rivers and fishing heritage.

Open Rivers: Promote an equivalent of the ‘Open Gardens’ scheme for riparian land holdings in order to increase engagement and understanding of chalk rivers amongst local communities.

Citizen Science: Expand the uptake of a range of schemes to increase data capture and community engagement.

Š Ali Morse

Education Projects: Works with the local schools to support the adoption of education initiatives such as Mayfly in the Classroom.

Support initiatives to reduce marine and freshwater litter.

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The Test & Itchen are widely regarded as two of the finest chalk streams in the world, supporting a rich diversity of flora and fauna which is unique to chalk stream environments. Despite this, they face significant pressures. The EU Water Framework Directive, designed to drive improvements in the status of rivers, lakes, coastal waters and groundwater, provides a unique opportunity for us to further enhance the ecological and chemical quality of our precious chalk rivers, providing benefits for the environment and for society .

DEFRA recognise that the involvement of local stakeholders is a crucial part of the solution to improving the state of our water environment and have established a Catchment Based Approach policy framework to enable stakeholders to collectively plan and deliver actions at a catchment scale.

Š Chris Button

The Test & Itchen Catchment Partnership brings together a diverse range of local organisations, businesses and individuals to collectively agree priority issues and actions that will be delivered, in partnership, for the benefit of the water environment. This Catchment Action Plan encapsulates the partnership’s aspirations and will guide the delivery of actions into the future.

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Also, please see the links below for ideas and advice that relating to:

Contact us to find out about delivering river restoration works and potential funding opportunities through the Test & Itchen River Restoration Strategy.

Keep us informed of issues affecting the river in your local area.

Contact your local Catchment Sensitive Farming officer and Campaign for the Farmed Environment coordinator for advice on how to protect soil and water resources, improve wildlife and save money. Visit: www.cfeonline.org.uk Contact the Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust or Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to find out about volunteering opportunities by visiting Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust (www.wcsrt.org.uk) and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (www.hiwwt.org.uk) , or contact a local community action group including The Anton River Conservation Association (TARCA), Friends of the Itchen Navigation (FIN), the Cheriton Conservation Group, or the Blackwater Conservation Group to get involved in local conservation volunteer projects. Get in touch with Southern Water (www.southernwater.co.uk) to discover how you can help save water, or contact the River Fly Partnership (www.riverflies.org) to find out about opportunities to get involved in the Anglers Monitoring Initiative.

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