South Chilterns Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

A healthy and sustainable water environment throughout the South Chilterns catchment area in which all significant water bodies achieve and maintain Good Ecological Status, and:

  • the waterscapes and heritage assets of the catchment, the iconic River Thames in particular, are protected, enhanced and valued by all
  • people of all ages value and enjoy the water environment and participate actively in its management
  • our globally rare chalk streams are naturalised and sustainable
  • wildlife thrives throughout the catchment
  • river flows throughout the catchment are managed sustainably
  • surface waters are of good quality, supporting rich and sustainable ecological diversity throughout the catchment.

Chilterns Conservation Board

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

  • Physical modifications

    Modifications for milling, navigation, flood alleviation, urban development etc. have degraded and disconnected habitats

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Nutrients and pesticides contaminating groundwater and sediment entering rivers is degrading habitat and changing ecology

  • Pollution from waste water

    Pollution from combined sewer overflows and groundwater infiltration severely impacting chalk stream health

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams

    As a partnership we recognise the value of chalk streams and work to protect and enhance these rare habitats

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    A total of 652 spills from storm overflows took place in the catchment in 2021

  • Connecting communities with nature

    The importance of connecting the urban community with nature has benefits for both the environment and human well-being

  • Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity

    Through multi-benefit projects we aim to help aid nature recovery in the catchment

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    We are working with landowners to adapt to climate change, from changes in land management, to reconnecting rivers with their floodplain

  • Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy

    Aligning our goals as a partnership with these larger networks and strategies will help provide multiple benefits to projects

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Intensively farmed catchment leading to large scale diffuse pollution and sediment run off

  • Pollution from waste water

    The catchment suffers from a high number of spills annually, which is likely to increase with climate change

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    Due to a heavily farmed catchment, abstraction is an ongoing issue, likely to become more worsen with the effects of climate change

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Pollution from waste water
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels

Emerging challenges

  • Pollution from waste water
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Some key successes from 2016-2021:

  • Pang Valley Flood Forum, a pilot Defra Natural Flood Management project.
  • Revive the Wye (RTW): formed in 2007, this local community initiative conserves and protects the Wye and raises awareness of its importance. Since 2016, RTW partners have restored and enhanced over 4km of urban chalk stream, engaging over 500 local community volunteers to progress this work. Projects have included enhancing habitat at five sites, funded through the Catchment Partnership Action Fund, Rivers & Wetlands Community Days Fund, Thames Water, Wycombe District Council and the Chilterns Chalk Streams Project (CCSP). River restoration projects have been completed at Desborough and the Rye Recreation Grounds by Wycombe District Council, with support from RTW partners. Additional work has included eradicating Himalayan Balsam from the top 5km of the Wye, establishing a Riverfly monitoring group on the river and introducing Trout in the Classroom at two schools in the catchment by the CCSP.
  • Collaborative working on the WINEP Sulham Brook project.
  • Joining up sectors and activity regarding flood, environment and wellbeing.
  • Thames Catchment Community Eel project engaged citizen scientists to map barriers to eel migration and funded feasibility studies for the priority barriers.

Chiltern Chalk Streams Project

Partnership development plans

More active projects and more partnership members. We'd like to see an engaged team of citizen scientists. Increasing the number of members and interests represented. More promotion of the Catchment Partnership across the region, more work with parish councils and local residents, more citizen science, more educational work. We are working on more shared projects where we work together to produce multi-benefit projects and tap into wider and multiple funding sources. People within the SCCP took part in the EA Citizen Jury and we would like to see that output included in future plans and activities.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Less certain

    CCSP/National Trust - Restoration of the Hughenden Stream at Hughenden Manor 2022-23

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Heritage Lottery Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Identify and secure funding
    Location
    Hughenden Stream

  • Less certain

    Wild and Wonderful Wetlands: a network of wetland sites providing space for wildlife and climate change resilience

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Identify and secure funding
    Location
    Chilterns South

  • Less certain

    Healthy Habitats: habitat restoration projects progressing biodiversity delivery across our catchment

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding required from land based schemes such as ELM
    Location
    Chilterns South

  • Less certain

    Citizen Science Programme: empowering citizens by making them part of decision-making about their local environment

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    Other philanthropic/charitable/trust funds
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding for a Project Officer to develop and deliver projects
    Location
    Chilterns South

  • Less certain

    Tackling INNS, develop a catchment wide plan to control the spread of Invasive Non-Native Species

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Identify and secure funding
    Location
    Chilterns South

  • Less certain

    Hamble Brook Chalk Stream Restoration Project

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding and collaborative working is required
    Location
    Hamble Brook

  • Wider water environment

    River Pang Flagship Chalk Stream Project

    Reason for measure
    Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
    Delivery mechanism
    Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
    Location
    Pang

Catchment Partnership contributors

Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: