6. Restoring sustainable river flows
Aims: Improve wildlife corridors; Manage flow
Water body: River Ver
Project description
The River Ver suffers from low flows as a consequence of overabstraction for public water supply. Affinity Water plan to reduce abstraction in the Ver catchment to restore river flows.
As part of its Water Resources Management Plan, Affinity Water have set out an ambitious strategy of abstraction reduction across the Chilterns and Hertfordshire area in the next 25 years These reductions are being carried out to help improve flows in the areas' highly pressured chalk streams. Affinity Water plan to reduce peak abstraction in the Ver Valley by 5.8 milllion litres per day in 2016 and by a further 8.8 million litres per day average abstraction by 2024 . In tandem with these reductions, Affinity also plan to carry out a series of habitat restoration projects to help improve the condition fo the river.