Plans that would threaten wildlife by allowing Southern Water to remove water from the River Test when flows are lower have been slammed by council leaders.

 

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Leader Cllr Paul Harvey and Co-Leader Cllr Gavin James have criticised proposals by Southern Water to remove water from the River Test even if its water levels continue to drop, accusing the company of failing to plan for the inevitable.

 

The River Test, a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, begins near Basingstoke and flows 40 miles down towards Southampton Water. It is home to more than 200 species, features in novel Watership Down and is one of England’s precious chalk streams, commonly regarded as the country’s equivalent of coral reefs and rainforests.

 

Southern Water can currently draw water from the River Test as long as the river flow stays above 355 million litres per day.

 

But now, the water company is asking the Environment Agency for permission to go beyond the usual limit that protects the globally rare chalk stream and the species that live there, including Atlantic salmon and brown trout.

 

Writing to Southern Water’s CEO to object to the company’s drought order, the council leaders echoed the concerns of charity WildFish that allowing Southern Water to drain water when river flows are lower would increase water temperatures and lower oxygen levels, harming fish and insects and stopping species migration.

 

It follows a unanimous call by councillors in May to recognise local rivers’ rights, including to be free from pollution, to support native biodiversity, to flow without obstruction and to be sustained by fresh-water sources.

 

The letter also criticised Southern Water’s underinvestment in vital water infrastructure, pointing to the reported increase in its CEO’s salary.

 

Leader of the Council Cllr Paul Harvey said: “Southern Water’s proposal could have been avoided entirely had it properly planned and invested in long-term supply measures, such as building new reservoirs and increasing water recycling over recent decades.

 

“While it is welcome news that the first new reservoir for thirty years is being built in the region, it is too little and too late. The environmental damage that drawing this water from the river will do is unacceptable."

 

Co-Leader Cllr Gavin James said: “We urge the Environment Agency to reject this short-sighted request and call on Southern Water to prioritise sustainable solutions that protect our rivers for future generations.

 

"Southern Water must take responsibility and invest in long-term infrastructure, rather than relying on emergency measures that threaten biodiversity and undermine public trust. Our rivers deserve better.”

 

Following the ‘rights of rivers’ motion being agreed earlier this year, the council is working with partners to draft a ‘declaration on the rights of the river’.

 

The council’s efforts to improve rivers are supported by its biodiversity strategy, adopted last year after it declared an ecological emergency for the borough in 2021.

 

More information about its work to protect, reconnect, restore and enhance nature is at www.basingstoke.gov.uk/ecology