Havant Thicket Reservoir and water recycling

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Keeping taps and rivers flowing

Did you know? There are only 200 chalk rivers in the whole world, and 80 per cent of those are in southern and eastern England. These precious and rare habitats, and the wildlife that lives there, need our protection. That’s why our neighbour, Southern Water, has agreed to take significantly less from two chalk streams in its supply area, the River Test and the River Itchen in Hampshire. While this is the right thing to do, reducing abstraction from these two rivers will leave the company with deficit of at least 166 million litres per day in droughts.

We’ve agreed to help, by building the brand new Havant Thicket Reservoir, just outside Havant. This will mean we can transfer up to 21 million litres of water per day, to Southern Water, when needed.. This plan is going ahead, with work on building the reservoir already underway.

Water recycling proposals

However, there’s another potential option, which would allow us to share even more water with Southern Water – up to 90 million litres a day extra from the reservoir. It involves recycling treated wastewater, using tried and tested technology. Water recycling has already been used in many other countries for decades. By adding purified recycled water to Havant Thicket Reservoir, we can help protect our precious chalk rivers and make sure we all have the water we need in the future.

Our research shows that 7 out 10 Portsmouth Water customers support water recycling as a way forward, and would be happy to drink recycled water (Survey of 700 people conducted in April 2022).

The water recycling proposals are known as the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project, a scheme which is subject to a further public consultation running from 29 May to 23 July 2024. It will also need approval by regulators and planning permission being granted before it can be delivered. Both the already approved reservoir scheme, and the water recycling proposals, if they went ahead, would be paid for by Southern Water through its drinking water customer bills.

Where to find out more

Further detail about water recycling and Havant Thicket Reservoir is available by visiting our additional webpages listed below. You can also read the Frequently Asked Questions section on this page.

We will also be sharing regular updates via our Facebook page and E-Newsletter.

We are always keen to speak to our customers in person, and regularly provide talks to community groups, or attend local events, to share updates about Havant Thicket Reservoir and our plans. If you would like us to give a talk to your group, or join an event you're holding, please contact us by email: havantthicket@portsmouthwater.co.uk or by phone: (023) 9249 98888.


Keeping taps and rivers flowing

Did you know? There are only 200 chalk rivers in the whole world, and 80 per cent of those are in southern and eastern England. These precious and rare habitats, and the wildlife that lives there, need our protection. That’s why our neighbour, Southern Water, has agreed to take significantly less from two chalk streams in its supply area, the River Test and the River Itchen in Hampshire. While this is the right thing to do, reducing abstraction from these two rivers will leave the company with deficit of at least 166 million litres per day in droughts.

We’ve agreed to help, by building the brand new Havant Thicket Reservoir, just outside Havant. This will mean we can transfer up to 21 million litres of water per day, to Southern Water, when needed.. This plan is going ahead, with work on building the reservoir already underway.

Water recycling proposals

However, there’s another potential option, which would allow us to share even more water with Southern Water – up to 90 million litres a day extra from the reservoir. It involves recycling treated wastewater, using tried and tested technology. Water recycling has already been used in many other countries for decades. By adding purified recycled water to Havant Thicket Reservoir, we can help protect our precious chalk rivers and make sure we all have the water we need in the future.

Our research shows that 7 out 10 Portsmouth Water customers support water recycling as a way forward, and would be happy to drink recycled water (Survey of 700 people conducted in April 2022).

The water recycling proposals are known as the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project, a scheme which is subject to a further public consultation running from 29 May to 23 July 2024. It will also need approval by regulators and planning permission being granted before it can be delivered. Both the already approved reservoir scheme, and the water recycling proposals, if they went ahead, would be paid for by Southern Water through its drinking water customer bills.

Where to find out more

Further detail about water recycling and Havant Thicket Reservoir is available by visiting our additional webpages listed below. You can also read the Frequently Asked Questions section on this page.

We will also be sharing regular updates via our Facebook page and E-Newsletter.

We are always keen to speak to our customers in person, and regularly provide talks to community groups, or attend local events, to share updates about Havant Thicket Reservoir and our plans. If you would like us to give a talk to your group, or join an event you're holding, please contact us by email: havantthicket@portsmouthwater.co.uk or by phone: (023) 9249 98888.


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  • Share Once the new reservoir is in operation, will Portsmouth Water be providing me with clean bottled water for drinking purposes as, despite any reassurances you might give, I will no longer feel able to drink water from my tap? on Facebook Share Once the new reservoir is in operation, will Portsmouth Water be providing me with clean bottled water for drinking purposes as, despite any reassurances you might give, I will no longer feel able to drink water from my tap? on Twitter Share Once the new reservoir is in operation, will Portsmouth Water be providing me with clean bottled water for drinking purposes as, despite any reassurances you might give, I will no longer feel able to drink water from my tap? on Linkedin Email Once the new reservoir is in operation, will Portsmouth Water be providing me with clean bottled water for drinking purposes as, despite any reassurances you might give, I will no longer feel able to drink water from my tap? link

    Once the new reservoir is in operation, will Portsmouth Water be providing me with clean bottled water for drinking purposes as, despite any reassurances you might give, I will no longer feel able to drink water from my tap?

    Steve B asked about 2 months ago

    Hello Steve, thank you for your reply and for sharing your views on the proposed use of purified recycled water as part of the wider regional water supply strategy.

    I understand your concerns about protecting public health and ensuring that any future use of recycled water is safe and secure. I would like to reassure you that under Southern Water’s proposals, the process of treating and reusing water would involve the highest levels of safety, with multiple, internationally recognised treatment stages — including reverse osmosis, micro or ultra-filtration, and additional final treatment at our existing works — all of which are regulated by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI).

    This approach is not new. Water recycling is already widely used around the world to supply millions of people with safe, clean drinking water. These countries include Singapore, Australia, the USA and closer to home, Belgium. Southern Water is just one of several water companies in the UK developing water recycling plants to create new sources supply for the future. What’s more, this proposal is being developed in close consultation with public health experts and regulators in the UK, and it would not be permitted to go ahead unless it met all legal safety standards and passed a rigorous approval process.

    It’s also worth clarifying that the treated recycled water would be mixed with natural spring water in the reservoir but would face yet another round of full drinking water treatment before entering supply. This means the water people receive in their homes would continue to meet the same strict standards as today. As a Portsmouth Water customer, you would only receive water from the reservoir during drought or emergency situations. At all other times, your supply will continue to come from our existing water sources.

    We appreciate that this is a complex and sometimes emotive topic, and we are committed to open, transparent dialogue as plans develop. Public health will always remain the top priority. You can learn more about the Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Scheme by visiting the Southern Water website here: Hampshire Water Transfer And Recycling Project

    Thank you again for your comments and for engaging with the project.

    water recycling,water quality
    water recycling water quality
  • Share As this scheme seems from the info presented here to be of benefit too southern water and Portsmouth water share holders can I ask as a user will I see my bill come down as a result of this partnership? on Facebook Share As this scheme seems from the info presented here to be of benefit too southern water and Portsmouth water share holders can I ask as a user will I see my bill come down as a result of this partnership? on Twitter Share As this scheme seems from the info presented here to be of benefit too southern water and Portsmouth water share holders can I ask as a user will I see my bill come down as a result of this partnership? on Linkedin Email As this scheme seems from the info presented here to be of benefit too southern water and Portsmouth water share holders can I ask as a user will I see my bill come down as a result of this partnership? link

    As this scheme seems from the info presented here to be of benefit too southern water and Portsmouth water share holders can I ask as a user will I see my bill come down as a result of this partnership?

    Trabs asked over 1 year ago

    Hello, many thanks for your question.

    Havant Thicket Reservoir is first and foremost an environmentally-led project.

    Southern Water has agreed to take less water from world-renowned chalk streams, the River Test and the River Itchen in Hampshire - to protect and support these rare and sensitive ecosystems. This will leave the company with a daily deficit of over 160 million litres of water in its Hampshire supply area, in the event of prolonged dry weather. 

    We’re a community-orientated company and pride ourselves on doing the right thing. We want to help our neighbour to address this challenge.

    As a result, we’re working with Southern Water to build the new Havant Thicket Reservoir in Havant, having received planning permission in October 2021. This is so we can store surplus water from our local springs, enabling us to provide up to 21 million litres of water a day to Southern Water during a drought. Proposals to add highly-treated recycled water to the reservoir, to supplement water levels, are being developed, with further public consultation on these planned for 2024. If approved to go ahead, the water recycling proposals would mean Havant Thicket Reservoir could supply a further 90 million litres of water a day to Southern Water.

    The already approved Havant Thicket Reservoir project, and the proposed water recycling scheme if it goes ahead, will be paid for by Southern Water, through its drinking water customer bills. These costs will be spread over many years – to reflect the continued benefits of the reservoir. 

    Portsmouth Water customers are not paying for the reservoir project through their drinking water or wastewater bills.

    This applies for both the already approved reservoir scheme and should the additional water recycling proposals be implemented.

  • Share Would it be possible and cheaper in the long term to build and operate a new waste treatment plant nearer to the reservoir with all of new build in the area now and the future? on Facebook Share Would it be possible and cheaper in the long term to build and operate a new waste treatment plant nearer to the reservoir with all of new build in the area now and the future? on Twitter Share Would it be possible and cheaper in the long term to build and operate a new waste treatment plant nearer to the reservoir with all of new build in the area now and the future? on Linkedin Email Would it be possible and cheaper in the long term to build and operate a new waste treatment plant nearer to the reservoir with all of new build in the area now and the future? link

    Would it be possible and cheaper in the long term to build and operate a new waste treatment plant nearer to the reservoir with all of new build in the area now and the future?

    Mr Goddard asked over 1 year ago

    Hi there, we're working on a response to your question. Just to clarify, when you say new waste treatment plant, we presume you mean a wastewater treatment works (that would treat wastewater, such as toilet waste, from properties), rather than a water recycling centre (which would further purify fully treated wastewater)? Please let us know, thanks