Southern Water Services Limited (“Southern Water”) HEREBY GIVES NOTICE that due to the threat of a serious deficiency of water supplies in the Hampshire water supply areas, that will result should the River Test flow recede to the level limiting abstraction within its abstraction licence, Southern Water of Southern House, Yeoman Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 3NX, is applying to the Environment Agency for a Drought Permit under Section 79A of the Water Resources Act 1991 (as amended by the Environment Act 1995).

Southern Water is licensed to abstract water from the River Test (licence number 11/42/18.16/546, as amended on 25 February 2019 (“the Licence”). Under the terms of the Licence, Southern Water is allowed to abstract a maximum quantity of 29,200 Megalitres per year, 80 Megalitres per day or 3.5 Megalitres per hour, subject to the Total Test Flow (“TTF”) remaining above the Hands off Flow (“HoF”) of 355 Megalitres per day. The proposed drought permit will involve an amendment to the Licence to reduce the HoF condition at the TTF from 355 Megalitres per day to 265 Megalitres day.

The proposed Drought Permit, if granted, will allow Southern Water to continue to abstract water to the lower HoF in the River Test. This water is necessary to secure the supplies of water made available to the public.

Southern Water is required to show that the threat to a deficiency of water supply relates to an "exceptional shortage of rainfall." within its drought permit application.

The Environment Assessment Report has indicated that potential ecological impacts on the River Test SSSI are uncertain. A monitoring and mitigation programme has been agreed with the Environment Agency and Natural England, with advice from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust to mitigate this uncertainty.

Anyone may inspect the proposals, free of charge, at the offices of Southern Water at Sparrow Grove, Otterbourne, Winchester, Hants, SO21 2SW and Southern Water’s head office Southern House, Yeoman Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 3NX, or at the Environment Agency at Station Road, Romsey SO51 7LP, or at Totton Library in Library Road, Totton, Southampton SO40 3RS, or at Testwood Lake Visitors Centre at Totton, Southampton, SO40 2RW between the hours of 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m., Monday to Friday, within 7 days of the date of publication of this notice. Visits to the Otterbourne office will require pre-arrangement. The Southern Water Otterbourne office can be contacted on 0330 303 0119. Summaries of the application will be hosted at www.southernwater.co.uk/hampshire-drought and further details of technical aspects can be obtained by emailing Nigel.Hepworth@southernwater.co.uk.

Objections may be made in writing to the Environment Agency at the Water Resources Permitting Support Centre, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Parkway Business Park, Sheffield, S9 4WF or by email to psc-waterresources@environment-agency.gov.uk, stating the grounds of the objection and giving an address or email address to which correspondence relating to the objection may be sent.

The Environment Agency will pass to the applicant a copy of any objection it receives. Objections should be made immediately and, in any event, within 7 days of the publication of this notice. The Environment Agency will decide within 9 days of this notice whether a hearing shall be convened for the purpose of considering objections. If a hearing is to be convened, the date of this hearing shall be on the week commencing 5th August 2019 and the location of this hearing shall be in the Mercure Hotel, Winchester.

Notice as to whether this hearing shall proceed shall be available to view at the offices of Southern Water at Sparrow Grove, Otterbourne, Winchester, Hants, SO21 2SW and Southern Water’s head office Southern House, Yeoman Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN13 3NX, or at the Environment Agency at Station Road, Romsey SO51 7LP, or at Totton Library, Library Road, Totton, Southampton SO40 3RS, between the hours of 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and hosted at www.southernwater.co.uk/hampshire-drought within 9 days of the date of publication of this notice.

Southern Water Services

25 July 2019