Balancing the Flow: A Three-Pronged Approach to Water Resilience
The recent spotlight on water scarcity and drought is an important and timely wake-up call. As climate pressures intensify and populations grow, we’re seeing more acute stress on our freshwater systems, particularly the sensitive chalk streams of southern England.
At Wessex Rivers Trust we are taking a three-pronged approach to addressing the water crisis:
1. Supporting strategic water infrastructure
We are calling for significant investment in water infrastructure, reductions in leakage, and the development of sustainable sources of water which reduce the need for harmful abstraction from our rivers. This all needs backing up by improvements in water resources regulation and long-term planning which places some of the world’s rarest natural habitats on an equal footing with demands from the public and businesses.
Through our role as hosts for multiple Catchment Partnerships in our area, we support the development of new water supplies such as Havant Thicket Reservoir and advanced water recycling schemes. While no infrastructure project is without its trade-offs, these are essential steps toward relieving pressure on our overstretched chalk aquifers and ensuring a more sustainable long-term water supply for people and nature.
This isn’t about choosing between options – it’s about creating a diversified, resilient system that’s in-sync with a growing population and increasing pressures associated with climate change. We need action from water companies at pace, and we support investment that reduces reliance on environmentally damaging abstraction.
2. Managing demand through education
We also know that new supplies and fixing leaks won’t solve the problem by themselves. Therefore, we need individuals and communities to understand the vitally important role they play in reducing water consumption and how simple changes in behaviour can make a positive impact. That’s why we’re delivering community engagement and education at scale – helping the current and next generation understand the value of water and how to use it wisely, saving money at the same time.
Our aquifers are recharged in winter and depleted in the summer, so we aim to build a cultural shift toward careful water stewardship where every litre counts, all year round. We believe that every person plays a part, and that public water recycling and household water-saving, often unpopular concepts, should become the new normal. For this reason our work aims to inspire everyone through school workshops, community events and awareness-raising projects.
3. Building resilience in rivers today
Finally, and crucially, we are working right now to build physical resilience into our rivers. This includes habitat restoration, reconnecting floodplains, tackling invasive species, and influencing land use – all interventions that help support rivers during times of low flows.
We are calling for all river owners and managers to consider taking practical steps to re-naturalise and restore the rivers under their stewardship. This may include reversing artificial channel modifications such as historic channel straightening, dredging and impounding with weirs and sluices. We also encourage the establishment of natural river features and ecology through sympathetic management of vegetation and believe that the combination of restoration and good management unlock the maximum benefits.
A call for joined-up action
Some organisations are rightly focused on accelerating progress from water companies, a vital part of the solution. But the reality is, the challenges our rivers face are already here. Species like Atlantic salmon are under serious pressure now, and delaying action on the ground could mean missing the window to protect and restore their habitats. That’s why our approach combines advocacy with practical, immediate interventions — working in partnership to build resilience today, while supporting long-term systemic change.
We need to take a balanced, science-led approach to solving the water crisis. It’s not a case of “either/or” – it's “all of the above, urgently.” So, we’ll continue to work with all stakeholders – including regulators, water companies, NGOs, landowners and the public – to make sure our rivers have a future when water is in short supply.
