Frequently Asked Questions
Your questions answered
Why do you need to build a new pipeline?
In a drought, we need to make sure there is enough water for everyone and for the environment.
This is part of our Water for Life – Hampshire programme work. If we can move water around our network, we’ll be able to improve our resilience and reduce how much water we need to take out of the environmentally sensitive chalk streams, the River Test and River Itchen.
Are you digging up the countryside to put in the new pipeline?
We’ll be using a mixture of open-cut (trenching) and no-dig (trenchless) construction methodology to build the new pipelines.
As part of our surveys and design process, we’ll make sure we minimise disturbance by going around environmentally sensitive areas and using the most appropriate construction methods. Generally, we would look to use open-cut through farmland / fields and no-dig (such as Horizontal Directional Drilling or tunnelling) to cross critical points such as main roads, rivers and railways.
What environmental improvements are you making?
The project delivers an environmental improvement by allowing us to reduce the abstraction affecting two internationally important chalk rivers – the Rivers Test and Itchen. This will return these rivers to a more natural flow. This will be beneficial to the habitats and species they support.
Energy requirements and carbon emissions during the design, construction and operational stages of the scheme will be carefully considered.
How will you protect the environment while you build this pipeline?
We have duties under the Water Industry Act to return land we have temporarily occupied to its former state; this would include reinstating habitats where we have had to remove them for the construction.
We’ll look for opportunities to improve biodiversity through the creation and enhancement of habitats such as grassland, hedgerows and woodland. They would be implemented when they construction work is finished.
In addition, construction projects like this allow us a unique insight into our past, and we expect to uncover, record and publish archaeological finds along the route. We’ll share our findings with the public and schools so everyone can learn more about the history of their local area.
Do you need planning permission?
We will be liaising closely with the local planning authorities to identify the planning and other consents that we will need for the scheme. We will make sure that we engage with local communities and other stakeholders ahead of us submitting any applications for planning permission we need to apply for.
I’m a landowner and I’ve got some questions about the route
We are working with landowners to find the best route for the pipeline. Please email Ellie-May Craddock [email protected], we’d like to hear your views.
What does a water transfer main do?
A Transfer Main, operates under much higher pressure and more flow than a Distribution Main, as it needs to carry large volumes of water over long distances.
This means it’s not suitable to be connected directly to any properties; the pressure and volume of water is too high and, from an engineering perspective, side connections would impact the effectiveness of the water transfer.