East Hampshire Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

As the East Hampshire Catchment Partnership we will inspire businesses, organisations, landowners, residents and community groups to come together and take an active role in creating a resilient and sustainable water environment that meets the present and future needs of local communities and helps nature to recover and advance

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

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    Barriers and modifications prevent the river from behaving in a natural way and limit fish passage

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Nitrate run off from agriculture impacts on the Solent

  • Invasive Non-native Species

    Invasive Non-native species are reducing the biodiversity of the catchment

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Connecting communities with nature

    Engaging communities is key to the EHCP vision, they are key stakeholders in what is a heavily urban catchment

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

    Conserving and creating connected habitats will be essential for threatened species as development pressures increase

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    Roads and building run-off is a major pressure, especially in East Hants which is a very urban catchment

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    Soils are key to retaining water and reducing rural diffuse pollution which affects local harbours and rivers

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Ensure species and habitats have the quality and quantity of space to survive and continue

  • Improved shellfish waters

    5 shellfish waters in East Hants, only 1 passes, plan needed for better water quality, invasive non-native species and over-fishing

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

  • Pollution from towns, cities and transport

  • Invasive Non-native Species

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport

Emerging challenges

  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Pollution from waste water
  • Physical Modifications

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

The partnership is a diverse organisation with members from the public, private and voluntary sectors, covering a range of specialisms and focus areas across both land and coastal waterbodies of East Hampshire. Our diverse work has seen a variety of highlights including:

  • Bringing together partners with very different roles, who otherwise would not have a forum to share views and understand the extent of the changing challenges facing the water environment. It has also supported practical improvements
  • Removal of non natives plants on the Lavant Stream, Potwell Tributary, Main River Hamble, by volunteers and community groups
  • Developing a community water quality monitoring programme, including Outfall Safari in Havant with ZSL, Southern Water, community groups
  • Developing an approach and scoping out a plan for natural flood management with local landowner and community group (actual scheme not yet delivered)
  • Creating reefs at multiple points on the Hamble estuary to provide a refuge for oysters and reduce fragmentation of saltmarsh
  • Supporting improvements to fish passage and phosphate run-off reduction on the Upper Hamble
  • Supporting development of ecological enhancements to sea defences in Portsmouth and Langstone Harbours.

Partnership development plans

Work together to maximise opportunities for funding - cross organisation work based around priority areas for action over the next few years. Formalising, enhancing and reporting upon the findings from our excellent links to community and resident groups who provide 'on the ground' intelligence to provide greater evidence for areas of concern

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
    Meon Upper Hamble

  • Confident

    Community water quality monitoring scheme and Outfall Safari (mis-connections) work

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Grant giving trusts and businesses
    Location
    Hermitage Stream

  • Confident

    Managing invasive species - predominantly Himalayan balsam

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    Voluntary initiatives
    Location
    Meon Hermitage Stream Potwell Trib Upper Hamble

  • Confident

    Work with coastal partnerships & Marine Management Organisation to improve integrated catchment and coastal management

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    East Hampshire Rivers

  • Confident

    Work to restore Solent oysters

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    East Hampshire Rivers

  • Confident

    Upper Hamble urban diffuse pollution and water quality improvement project

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Upper Hamble

  • Less certain

    Lavant Stream fish pass installation and channel improvements

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Developer funded
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding derived from Community Infrastructure Levy not fully secured
    Location
    East Hampshire Rivers

  • Less certain

    Trial work to reduce diffuse nitrate and phosphate pollution

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Support from University of Portsmouth
    Location
    Wallington below Southwick Hermitage Stream

  • Less certain

    Havant Thicket Reservoir creation

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage abstractions
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Project funded by Portsmouth Water - success depending on mitigation costs
    Location
    Hermitage Stream Lavant (Hants)

  • Less certain

    Work to restore Solent mudflats, saltmarsh and seagrass

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Partnership approach in development
    Location
    East Hampshire Rivers

  • Less certain

    Preventing plastic pollution

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Support from University of Portsmouth
    Location
    East Hampshire

  • Less certain

    Water vole reintroduction on the river Meon, and restoration on Hamble

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Developer funded
    Barriers to delivery
    Requires input from South Downs National Park
    Location
    Meon

  • Wider water environment

    Involve communities in practical measures: WQ testing, NNIS removal, water use reduction, plastics

    Reason for measure
    Connecting communities with nature
    Delivery mechanism
    Voluntary initiatives
    Location
    East Hampshire Rivers

  • Wider water environment

    Work with local authorities and other stakeholders to establish habitat connectivity across boundaries

    Reason for measure
    Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity
    Delivery mechanism
    Nature Recovery Network
    Location
    East Hampshire Rivers

  • Wider water environment

    Work with water companies and related stakeholders to reduce pollution and re-use water where possible

    Reason for measure
    Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Location
    East Hampshire Rivers

Catchment Partnership contributors

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