Save Every Drop

Here in Hampshire, we have often taken for granted something that is, in reality, an incredible luxury: clean water brought directly into our homes. With this precious natural resource available at the turn of a tap, it has been easy to overlook where it comes from and to forget the importance of leaving enough for nature.

Much of the county’s water has been drawn from a chalk aquifer deep below ground, through a process known as abstraction. However, people have not been the only ones relying on this hidden resource. Our iconic chalk streams have also depended on it, and their unique wildlife has been increasingly affected when water levels have been under pressure.

Through the Save Every Drop project, part of the Watercress and Winterbournes Landscape Partnership Scheme, we worked with Southern Water to help address this issue. As abstraction is driven by public demand, higher water use has meant more is taken from the aquifer. By encouraging more mindful water use, the project has aimed to help protect these fragile ecosystems and keep our rivers flowing for the future.