Stour Chalk Streams and Clay Vales
The Stour catchment experiences many of the same pressures as other rivers in Dorset, but with fewer protected or designated areas meaning it is sometimes referred to as the ‘Forgotten River’. The Stour Chalk Streams and Clay Vales Project aims to change that. In partnership with the Wessex Rivers Trust, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West, Wessex Water and South West Water, the goal is to improve the water quality, health and resilience of the Stour catchment rivers and their surrounding landscapes for the benefit of both people and wildlife.
Why is the project needed?
The Stour catchment encompasses a range of habitats (including 12 rare chalk streams) that are all under varying degrees of pressure. Agricultural runoff, sediment and nutrient inputs, altered flows, water abstraction, poor habitat connectivity, flooding and low-flow issues, all take their toll on water quality and wildlife.
The Stour and its tributaries (38 waterbodies) rise as mostly steep, flashy clay headwater catchments, feeding through a porous chalk band which includes winterbournes, to newer clays, sands and gravels to the South and East. The catchment drains into Christchurch Harbour, where it meets the mouth of the Hampshire Avon and flows out to Christchurch Bay.
The headwaters and upper catchment of the Stour are dominated by farming, particularly livestock, while the lower reaches are more populated as the rivers move through Wimborne, Bournemouth and Christchurch. The land use is reflected in the number of protected areas in the catchment, particularly when compared to its neighbour, the Poole Harbour catchment.
Project goals
The Stour Chalk Streams and Clay Vales Project (Stour CS&CV) formed in April 2025 with the following goals:
- cleaner water
- healthier and better-connected river habitats
- improved soil and land management
- greater water storage and resilience to climate change
- increased biodiversity
How it will work
The project will work with farmers, landowners and local partners to tackle problems at source and restore natural catchment processes. This may include better soil management, riparian buffers, wetlands and ponds creation, river and floodplain restoration, tree planting, slowing the flow and habitat improvements.
Drawing on the differing expertise of each delivery partner, the Stour CS&CV will offer land management advice; however, small capital grants will be available. The current phase of work runs until March 2030, but all partners are keen to continue into a second phase extending to 2035.
Dorset Catchment Partnership
Evidence and monitoring
Monitoring is being used to help identify where action is most needed and will continue throughout the project to track the impact of interventions on water quality, river conditions and wildlife.
Who is involved?
Led by Dorset Wildlife Trust, key partners include:
- Dorset Catchment Partnerships
- Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West
- Wessex Rivers Trust
- University of Exeter Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste who will oversee monitoring
- South West Water and their Upstream Thinking Programme
- Wessex Water Catchment Partnership Projects
Funding
The project is supported through investment from Wessex Water and South West Water (now owners of Bournemouth Water) as part of the Water Industry National Environment Programme. Additional funding will be sought from other sources, such as the Environment Agency, to compliment delivery.
