11. Restoring sustainable river flows - R. Gade

Aims: Improve wildlife corridors; Manage flow

Water body: River Gade

Project description

The upper River Gade suffers from low flows as a consequence of overabstraction for public water supply. Affinity Water plan to reduce abstraction in the upper Gade 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' pressured chalk streams.  Affinity Water plan to reduce average abstraction in the upper Gade Valley by 6.4 milllion litres per day.  In tandem with this reduction, Affinity also plan to carry out a series of habitat restoration projects to help improve the condition fo the river.

Project lead: Affinity Water

Project partners: Environment Agency, Dacorum Environmental Forum Water Group, Chilterns Chalk Stream Project, Chiltern Society

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Project start: 2018

Funding source: