Many of our raw drinking water sources in Sussex are situated in the region’s famous chalk downland.
Across the Brighton and Worthing Chalk Block, the level of nitrate within the aquifer can be high, and we have traditionally relied on water treatment processes in order to adhere to the strict drinking standards for customer supply.
Our new, more sustainable approach to protecting the current and future drinking water sources is based on the idea that prevention is better than cure. We’re using catchment management to identify how land use, pollution hazards and groundwater pathways could impact on water quality. Then we’re working to understand what we need to do to protect groundwater quality at source, so that costly and energy-intensive treatment can be minimised, or even avoided, further down the line.
Across the Brighton and Worthing Chalk Block, we’ve funded long-term land management incentives to implement best practice measures that reduce nitrate leaching into the groundwater. Alongside this, farmers can use our capital grants scheme to apply for funds towards infrastructure that will also help to reduce pollution.
In the Worthing Chalk Block, we are working with a cluster of farmers who have come together to form the Arun and Adur Farmer Group. Together, we’re exploring more sustainable ways of using nitrate in these rural settings. For example, we have worked with farmers to carry out soil testing to identify exactly what their crops need – and
how much – so fertilisers can be used more efficiently without impacting yields. This gives the farmer value for money while protecting our water sources and the environment.
Across the Brighton Chalk Block, we are part of The Aquifier Partnership (TAP), alongside Brighton and Hove City Council, the South Downs National Park Authority and the Environment Agency. Through this collaboration, we are undertaking research, engagement and awareness campaigns for both urban and rural pollution sources.
This long-term strategy will help to provide a resilient water supply for future generations while reducing the number of nitrate treatment works needed. The approaches implemented to protect water quality also provide benefits for soil health, carbon, as well as the wildlife and biodiversity of the iconic Chalk Block.
Claire Neale
Catchment Management Strategy Manager