Agenda item

Declarations of interest: None.

Officers: John How, Water Strategy Group

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.    The Committee was provided with an update regarding the progress of the Water Strategy Group since the last report in October 2012. It was anticipated that the Group would be in the position to present the final findings of its work in Autumn 2013, with the work identified as a result of the report being undertaken in 2014.

2.    The Committee was informed that the Environmental Agency had agreed to an increase in the amount of water being extracted at Woodham. This had reduced the water deficit from 4.5 million litres of water a day to 2.8 million litres of water a day. The approval for this increased extraction was for two years and would expire in 2015.

3.    The Committee heard that the bid to Garfield & Weston for additional monies to pay for telemetry equipment had been rejected. It was noted that the Basingstoke Canal Society had agreed to contribute 10% to any equipment purchased, up to a value of £4,000. It was also highlighted that Natural England had agreed to fund two sets of boat counters, costing £11,000 in total. Officers informed the Committee that Surrey County Council had identified money in its capital funding for telemetry equipment.

4.    The Committee held a discussion around the data provided by the boat counters at Woodham and Dogmersfield. It was queried whether there was a risk that the number of boats might exceed the Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) limit. It was confirmed by officers that this was not currently the case.

5.    The Committee was presented with a summary of the findings of the British Geological Survey (BGS) report. 7 sites had been identified as having potential for further development, as detailed in the summary report included in the agenda papers.

6.    Officers went on to outline the work undertaken by Southampton University students. This included an audit of the Water Strategy Group, the development of a water balance model and the identification of possible solutions to the issues of water deficit. The draft audit report was being prepared for April 2013, with a final publication in May 2013. The work with Southampton University was seen as a long-term and ongoing working partnership, with a potential to link in with other projects.

7.    The Committee was given a summary of the proposed next steps of the Water Strategy Group. This included: discussions with the Environmental Agency about the renewal of the abstraction licences due to expire in 2015;  

the procurement of further telemetry equipment; and discussions with Environmental Agency about creating boreholes at Colt Hill.

8.    It was stated that there would also be a review of communications with South East Water about the Greywell site. There would also be further work to explore options around the Mitie Group site at Frimley in March 2013.

9.    The Committee was informed that there would be further work undertaken to identify potential surface water and reservoir options. These included dredging the Hampshire Pound, discussions with the Ministry of Defence around use of reservoirs, and consideration of possible use of general drainage.

Recommendations:

None.

Actions/further information to be provided:

None.

Committee Next Steps:

The Committee will receive a further update on the work of the Water Strategy Group at its meeting in June 2013.