Notice

Southern Water Services Limited: proposal to vary (change) a water abstraction licence

Published 6 July 2017

This notice was withdrawn on 27 April 2018

The consultation period for this application has ended. You can view current licences on the Public Registers.

Applies to England

1. Details of the application

The Environment Agency is giving notice of the proposal to vary (change) licence number 11/42/18.16/546, held by Southern Water Services Limited, under its powers contained in section 52 of the Water Resources Act 1991 (as amended by section 22 of the Water Act 2003) and regulation 31 of the Water Resources (Abstraction and Impounding) Regulations 2006.

The Environment Agency is doing this as part of a programme to help restore sustainable abstraction on the River Test and to protect the River Test Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

This licence allows the licence holder to abstract a total of 136.38 megalitres (Ml) of water a day, and a total of 49,915.08 Ml a year for public water supply. Abstraction is authorised all year from the River Test. This is at National Grid Reference (NGR) SU 35 15.

The licence has a hands off flow condition which ceases or restricts abstraction so that it does not cause either the flow in the River Test (measured downstream of Testwood Pumping Station) or the aggregate of the flow in the River Blackwater (measured at Ower Gauging Station), the River Test (measured downstream of Testwood Pumping Station) and the Nursling Fish Farm Carrier (measured below Nursling Mill), to fall below 91 Ml per day.

The proposal is to vary the licence in the following ways:

• Reduce the daily quantity to 80 Ml per day;
• Reduce the annual quantity to 29,200 Ml per year;
• Remove the current hands off flow condition;
• Include a hands off flow condition which restricts abstraction when flows are at or below 355 Ml per day in the
  River Test measured as the sum of flow at Testwood Bridge, Test Back Carrier and Conagar Bridge until 31 March 2027;
• From 1 April 2027, include a hands off flow condition which restricts abstraction when flows measured as the sum of flow at Testwood Bridge, Test Back Carrier and Conagar Bridge are at or below 390 Ml per day in the months March to December and 355 Ml per day in the months January to February.
• From 1 April 2027, include a hands off flow condition which restricts abstraction when flows measured at Testwood Bridge are at or below 265 Ml per day in the months March to December and 233 Ml per day in the months January to February.
• Time limit the licence to expire on 31 December 2027.
• Include a fish screen condition.

2. How to view the proposal

You can see the proposal and supporting documents, during normal office hours, at the Environment Agency:

Romsey Office
Canal Walk
Romsey
Hampshire
SO51 8DU

You can get details of licence number 11/42/18.16/546 from the address above.

You can also see the proposal and supporting documents, by sending an email to rsa.representations@environment-agency.gov.uk

3. How to comment on the application

Send any representation about this application in writing, quoting the name of the applicant and reference number 11/42/18.16/546 to the Environment Agency :

RSA/WFD Team
c/o Sarah Timms
NRBMS
Sapphire East
550 Streetsbrook Road
Solihull
B91 1QT

Or by email to: rsa.representations@environment-agency.gov.uk

By 3 August 2017.

Signed: Suzanne Fewings Date: 6 July 2017.