Society Actions to Achieve Our Vision for Chalk Rivers

Our Vision for Chalk Rivers

To help achieve our vision for chalk rivers and wetlands, we believe that action is required across all levels of society (including individual, community, business and regulation) and that it must happen in tandem, more quickly, more consistently and be more ambitious, in order to ensure a sustainable future ffor these precious habitats and the wildlife they support.

This list is not exhaustive of all approaches currently being made, but indicates some notable actions that we would like to see achieved across Hertfordshire and Middlesex to better protect our rivers.

Individuals

• Reduction in personal water use (per capita consumption) to meet or surpass the national target for water stressed regions of 110 litres per person per day.

• Widespread use of water saving devices, fixtures and fittings across all homes, gardens and places of work.

• Mode shift to drought-friendly gardening practices in areas of water stress that benefit local urban and rural wildlife.

• Misconnected domestic appliances fixed to stop pollution entering rivers.

Community

• All new homes built to meet water efficiency standards of 110 litres per person per day, as set out under Part G of the Building Regulations.
• Integrated catchment solutions delivered as part of all new or retrofitted development, such as SUDS that provide biodiversity benefits i.e. constructed wetlands for water treatment.
• Water-friendly farming practices adopted and supported across chalk river catchments, that protect their water supply, quality, biodiversity and groundwater bodies.

Industry

• Universal metering and demand management measures introduced across all homes and places of work, to drive down personal water consumption to 110 litres per person per day.
• Leakage reduced by 50% across the water industry supply network by 2050.
• Development of a new strategic supply network that is sustainable and will end abstraction in chalk river catchments.
• Impacts of abstraction minimised whilst new supply infrastructure is developed, including through proactive and ambitious drought management, and ecological target flows achieved.
• Creation of healthy functioning wetland habitats for water storage and treatment, with a target to increase their area by 30% across Herts by 2050.
• All water companies and industry to meet minimum standards for water quality in their operations.

Government

• Bespoke statutory designation for all chalk rivers that includes enhanced protection and enforcement.
• Ecological flow targets set out and maintained along every chalk river; these are flows and levels which are appropriate to support the native biodiversity of a chalk river.
• Legislation to support universal metering, water efficiency rating scheme for appliances and fixture and fittings, water targets for business and local authorities.
• Ambitious and proactive use of regulatory powers to enforce improvements under the Water Framework Directive and compliance with current legislation.
• Special targets for water stressed regions set out in Planning Policies and the Building Regulations, to support water efficiency and integrated catchment solutions across development.
• More stringent penalties for industry not complying with regulation and policy e.g. “polluter pays principle” and these attributed in-full to rectifying environmental damage or enhancement.