New Forest Management Catchment

About

The New Forest catchment encompasses approximately 450 square kilometres and lies mostly within the New Forest National Park boundary. The area is largely rural, with several picturesque villages and the larger settlements of Lyndhurst and Brockenhurst. The main urban areas are confined to the waterside communities bordering Southampton Water and along the south west coastal zone. The population of the area swells in the summer with the influx of tourists. The New Forest is a unique landscape, consisting of ancient and ornamental woodland, areas of grassland known locally as lawns and the largest remaining area of heather covered lowland heath in Europe. It is famed for its free ranging New Forest ponies, cattle and pigs, managed traditionally over the centuries by an extensive grazing system and pastoral economy. Its numerous small streams, ponds, lakes, coastal mudflats and salt marshes provide rare habitats for wildlife which support many designated conservation sites. Whilst groundwater generally provides good quality baseflow, the network of rivers and ponds are primarily fed by rainfall, which has helped to create the Forests unique landscape and its diverse range of habitats. While the New Forest is valued for it natural rural landscape, its rivers have been managed and engineered over the years. Several have tidal controls, others are ponded and more have been dredged and straightened for land drainage and agriculture. Nevertheless, each river has its own unique environmental value and the New Forest has some of the most diverse ecology and valuable wetlands in lowland England.

The source of the Sowley Stream emerging on heathland with New Forest ponies grazing

Classifications data for New Forest Management Catchment

Number of water bodies

The number of water bodies in the river basin district. It shows whether these are natural, artificial (such as canals and reservoirs) or have been modified ('heavily modified') for particular uses.

Water body categoriesNaturalArtificialHeavily modifiedTotal
River, canals and surface water transfers70916
Lake0022
Coastal0000
Estuarine0000
Groundwater0000
Total701118

Ecological status for surface waters

Table summarises the current ecological status of surface water bodies. Water bodies are classified as being at high, good, moderate, poor or bad ecological status or potential.

Ecological status or potentialBadPoorModerateGoodHighTotal
Number of water bodies01143018
Number of water body elements051324121163

Chemical status for surface waters

Table summarises the current chemical status of water bodies. These are classified as being at good or fail.

Chemical statusFailGoodTotal
Number of water bodies18018
Number of water body elements36243279

Why do all water bodies have a chemical status of fail?

Quantitative status for groundwater

Table summarises the quantitative status of groundwater water bodies. These are classified as being at good or poor.

Quantitative statusPoorGoodTotal
Number of water bodies000
Number of water body elements000

Chemical status for groundwater

Table summarises the chemical status of groundwater water bodies. These are classified as being at good or poor.

Chemical statusPoorGoodTotal
Number of water bodies000
Number of water body elements000

Challenges data for New Forest Management Catchment

Reasons for not achieving good status by business sector

The issues preventing waters reaching good status and the sectors identified as contributing to them. The numbers in the table are individual counts of the reasons for not achieving good status with a confidence status of 'confirmed' and 'probable', where the latest classification is less than good status. There may be more than one reason in a single water body. Note, table does not include reasons for deterioration.

Significant water management issueChanges to the natural flow and level of waterInvasive non-native speciesPhysical modificationsPollution from abandoned minesPollution from rural areasPollution from towns, cities and transportPollution from waste water
Agriculture and rural land management00002800
Domestic general public0000051
Industry0000000
Local & central government0030000
Mining and quarrying0000000
Navigation0000000
No sector responsible0000000
Other0000000
Recreation0020000
Sector under investigation0010000
Urban and transport0020040
Waste treatment and disposal0000000
Water Industry0010009
Total009028910

Objectives data for New Forest Management Catchment

Ecological status or potential objectives for surface water bodies

Table summarises the ecological status and ecological potential objectives set for water bodies in the river basin management plan. Each water body is only counted once in this table. Each water body objective consists of a target status and a date when it was, or is expected to be, met.

StatusBadPoorModerateGoodHighTotal
By 2015003407
By 2021000303
By 2027001708
Total00414018

8 of the "by 2027" objectives are low confidence

Chemical status objectives for surface water bodies

Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines

StatusFailGoodTotal
By 206301818
Total01818

0 of the "by 2027" objectives are low confidence

Quantitative status objectives for groundwater

Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines

StatusPoor
GoodTotal
Total000

0 of the "by 2027" objectives are low confidence

Chemical status objectives for groundwater

Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines

StatusPoor
GoodTotal
Total000