The Environment Agency is consulting on a proposal to change a water abstraction licence held by Southern Water which would see the current abstraction total of 136.38 megalitres (Ml) of water a day reduced to 80 Ml and the total of 49,915.08 Ml a year reduced to 29,200 Ml per year.

Launching the consultation, the Agency said it 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). Abstraction is authorised all year from the River Test.

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

The EA wants to 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 the EA is also seeking to 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, it also wants to 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.

The Agency is proposing to set a time limit for the licence to expire on 31 December 2027.

Deadline for responses to the consultation is 3 August 2017. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to get details of the consultation proposal and supporting documents.