Over three quarters of England’s unique chalk streams are failing to meet the required ‘good ecological status’ according to a new report by WWF-UK.

In the first report of its kind in a decade, The State of England’s Chalk Streams examines their current health and finds them in what WWF describes as “a shocking state.”

Dr Rose O’Neill, Water Policy Manager, WWF-UK and report author, said:

 “This report shows clearly that something urgently needs to be done to restore our chalk streams, starting from the top with clear Government leadership and fit-for-purpose regulation of abstraction, sewage and agricultural pollution."

 “Chalk streams are a unique ecosystem and so we have a special responsibility to protect them. Yet 77% of our chalk streams are not in good health and only 12 have protected status. Progress over the past 10 years has lacked the pace, scale and urgency required.”

 The report, which comes ten years since the Environment Agency set out its vision for chalk streams in England, stresses the need for Government to take action before the effects are irreversible.

Phosphate and nitrates at levels that pose a risk to drinking water supplies

 The chalk aquifer – the engine room of the chalk stream – makes up 70% of the public drinking water supply in south-east England. The report found that it is classed as in poor quantitative health, with phosphate and nitrates at levels that pose a risk to drinking water supplies.

The State of England’s Chalk Streams report highlights the activity and progress that has been made over the past 10 years, such as the return of otters to many chalk streams and the achievements of conservationists such as rivers and wildlife trusts restoring stretches of chalk stream and campaigning for change. This includes WWF’s partnership with Coca-Cola Great Britain and Coca-Cola Enterprises, which aims to restore and protect English rivers.

 David Nussbaum, Chief Executive, WWF-UK, said:

“The majority of the world’s chalk streams are found in England, and are a quintessential part of the English countryside. They are havens for wildlife such as otters, water voles and mayfly. The threats they face are significant: over-abstraction, pollution from industry, agriculture and households and poor management. However, there is an opportunity to reverse the damage being done to these unique places, which we have set out in our Manifesto for Chalk Streams. We hope that whichever party leads the next government, they put protection of our water environment on the agenda and bring forward action to restore the health of our chalk streams.”

The report’s key findings include:

• More than three-quarters – 77% - are failing to meet the required Good status.
• Only 12 are protected and of these only 15% (by length) are classed as adequately protected and meeting conservation objectives; half are classed as unlikely to meet conservation targets without changes to management or external pressures.
• Nationally and internationally protected chalk streams, on the face of it, are not fairing much better than the rest.
• Otters are making a comeback, in-line with increases observed nationally. Signs of otters were recently recorded at two-thirds of the chalk stream sites surveyed (up from just 5% in the 1980s). 
• While all chalk streams should be capable of supporting a healthy population of brown trout, the most recent data showed observations on just a third of chalk streams.
• All six chalk streams listed as nationally important salmon rivers are categorised as ‘at risk’ or ‘probably at risk’ with little improvement being predicted by 2018.
• With growing pressure from climate change, population growth and new and expanding populations of invasive non-native species, without a step change in management, ensuring no deterioration from the current meagre baseline will be challenging. 

WWF-UK is also calling on Government to ensure the 2015 River Basin Management Plans contain robust measures to enable water bodies to achieve good ecological status. In December 2015 the Environment Agency will publish River Basin Management Plans which set out how all water bodies in England and Wales will be managed over the next six years.

WWF-UK has issued a Manifesto for Chalk Streams which calls for:

• Government leadership to champion chalk streams;
• Fit-for-purpose regulation of abstraction and pollution;
• A chalk stream forum for learning and scrutiny;
• Better implementation of plans to restore our nationally and internationally protected chalk streams;
• Valuing our chalk streams and the chalk aquifer.

Chalk streams are found in the following English counties: Yorkshire, Lincolnshire East Anglia, Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Wiltshire and Dorset. 

Click here to download the full report.