Hampshire Avon Catchment Partnership
- Catchment HostWessex Rivers Trust
- River Basin DistrictSouth West
- Management CatchmentAvon Hampshire
- Management Catchment ID3006
Catchment partnership vision
The Hampshire Avon Catchment Partnership vision is for healthy water bodies within the Hampshire Avon catchment that are valued and nurtured by residents, businesses, and the wider community.
Related websites
Find out more about the activities and ambitions of this catchment partnership and how you can get involved to help improve the water environment in the catchment.
Catchment challenges
Current challenges identified by partnership
Pollution from waste water
Excess nutrient loads from wastewater treatment works has 1 of the most significant impacts on Avon River water quality
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Sediment and nutrient pollution have significant impacts on Avon River water quality, particularly in headwaters
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Over abstraction and modified river channels affects low flows and chalk stream ecology, particularly on trout & salmon
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
The partnership have not identified any wider water environment challenges
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Pollution from waste water
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Physical Modifications
Emerging challenges
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Physical Modifications
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
The Hampshire Avon Catchment Partnership has had a number of successes over 2016-2021, including: River Avon Restoration Project (2012-2017). Partnership members have implemented over 50 individual projects and over 30km of restoration to the river and floodplain of the Hampshire Avon catchment. The success and significance of this collaboration between partners and local landowners was recognised with the UK River Prize 2016. The Wessex Chalk Streams Project celebrated its 20 year anniversary in 2020 with the creation of over 25km of restored river habitat in the last 5 years. Working closely with the agricultural sector, the Partnership (particularly Catchment Sensitive Farming Officers, water companies and Farmer Cluster groups) collaborated to reduce the impact of agriculture on the Hampshire Avon. The success represented more than 5000 hours of volunteer work. The importance to the Partnership of maintaining and improving an up-to-date evidence base for data and information to inform further actions and activities on the Hampshire Avon was demonstrated with ongoing surveys and stakeholder engagement throughout the catchment.
Partnership development plans
Hampshire Avon Catchment Partnership’s ambitions: develop and oversee catchment scale, nature based solutions to address current and future climate change impacts. Increase work with the agricultural sector to aid delivery of environmental benefits at a landscape scale. Continue to promote and advise stakeholders, including the public, to increase awareness and focus on the importance of a healthy water environment. Investigate and promote innovative funding to support the Partnership’s work.
Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027
Confident
Enhancement/no deterioration measures in 2020-2025 Water Industry National Environment Programme
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage point source discharges
- Delivery mechanism
- Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
- Location
- Avon Hampshire
Confident
Reduce flood risk and improve water quality and biodiversity in the Ripley Brook (lower Avon tributary)
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Location
- Ripley Brook
Confident
Restore natural processes to the river and floodplain of the Upper Avon (Source to Salisbury)
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Highways England Programme
- Location
- Hampshire Avon (Upper) d/s Nine Mile River confl
Confident
Improving local community connection to Wylye and Ebble sub-catchments and enhance water quality and river environment
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- Wylye (Headwaters) Ebble Ebble Trib (Chalke Valley Stream) Till (Hampshire Avon) Ebble (Upper) Chitterne Brook Wylye (Middle) Wylye Trib (The Were or Swan) Wylye (Lower)
Confident
Reduce sediment run-off in the Ebble sub-catchment (upper Avon tributary)
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Location
- Ebble Ebble (Upper) Ebble Trib (Chalke Valley Stream)
Confident
Restore natural processes to the river and floodplain of the Wylye and its tributaries
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- Chitterne Brook Till (Hampshire Avon) Wylye (Headwaters) Wylye (Lower) Wylye (Middle) Wylye Trib (The Were or Swan)
Less certain
Reduce the impact of excess nutrient run-off on water quality using landscape scale habitat creation schemes
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
- Barriers to delivery
- Pending delivery of an effective ELM scheme
- Location
- Avon Hampshire
Less certain
Biodiversity net gain delivered through wetland creation/floodplain re-connection
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Developer funded
- Barriers to delivery
- Uncertainty regarding the policy around delivery of net gain targets
- Location
- Avon Hampshire
Less certain
Nutrient management and Natural Flood Management opportunities to drive restoration at West Chisenbury (Upper Avon)
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- None identified
- Barriers to delivery
- Options over best mechanisms to deliver this project are being explored
- Location
- Hampshire Avon (Upper) u/s Nine Mile River confl
Less certain
A river and floodplain restoration project at Wilton (lower Wylye)
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- None identified
- Barriers to delivery
- Lack of public funding and uncertainty of private funding sources
- Location
- Wylye (Lower)
Less certain
The restoration of river and floodplain reaches through the River Avon Restoration Plan - Phase 2
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- None identified
- Barriers to delivery
- Requires large scale funding initiatives and buy-in from multiple stakeholders
- Location
- Avon Hampshire
Less certain
A river and floodplain restoration project at Smallbrook Meadows (Were)
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Lack of public funding and uncertainty of private funding sources
- Location
- Wylye Trib (The Were or Swan)
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership:
- Cranborne Chase AONB
- Hampshire County Council
- Wessex Water
- Wiltshire Council
- Bournemouth Water
- Wiltshire Fishery Association
- Salmon & Trout Conservation
- NFU
- Natural England
- Wessex Rivers Trust
- Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
- SAGP
- FWAG South West
- Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
- Wild Trout Trust
- Environment Agency
- Farm Clusters
- Salisbury Wildlife Group
- Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust