Reports and Research Papers
On this page you can find our occasional series of short reports on scientific topics, covering both our own and colleagues' work.
Winterbournes Management Guidance.pdfHow to manage a Winterbourne (published by Watercress & Winterbournes, 2026)
This document is aimed at landowners and managers of winterbournes (temporary streams which don't flow all year).
Winterbournes need different management techniques during their dry and wet phases.
It will be of interest to anyone engaged with the chalk streams of the Upper Itchen - the Alre and the Candover both have winterbourne stretches when groundwater is low.
202425 WQMN Report Test Itchen Meon v2.pdfNutrient Monitoring on the Rivers Test, Itchen and Meon 2024/25 (published 2026)
Working with the Test and Itchen Association, we have produced this report, which reviews all citizen science data from the Test, Itchen and Meon collected from water quality testing from November 2023 to July 2025.
We conclude, from our analysis, that regulators should apply tighter standards for phosphate in particular, given the sensitive nature of our chalk streams.
Chem_polln_UIRG report_V9a_CLEAN_31.7.25.pdfChemicals in the Upper Itchen (July 2025)
This document summarises recent research into chemical pollution in the Upper Itchen, from sources including household and pharmaceutical products, pet treatments and agriculture.
It contains our developing recommendations on what we can all do to make better choices of household cleaning products.
Drought_prediction_Itchen_catchment_V1b_mab_3.6.25.pdfReport on Drought in the Itchen (2025)
This report highlights the need for early identification and public notification of drought periods in order that water supplies, particularly those stored in Hampshire’s chalk aquifer, can be conserved.
Here Dr Martin Burton outlines a proposed approach for early prediction of potential droughts and associated damaging low flows occurring in August, September and October using cumulative rainfall analysis. This analysis sums rainfall occurring between 1st September and 31st May and compares the total cumulative figure with the lowest flow levels and duration of low flow periods.
You can see the process in action on Martin's blog, forecasting for 2026, on our Drought Watch page.
202308 UIRG Bishops Sutton Pilot v1.1.pdfBishop's Sutton Phosphate Study (2023)
In 2023, we ran a project to explore the levels and sources of Phosphates and other nutrients close to the source of the Alre in Bishop's Sutton.
This was the pilot project which led to our wider water quality testing work.
Here you can read the Report from this project.
We believe in open data sharing, with the aim of spreading the word about the importance of our chalk streams and what must be done about their current plight.
All the material on our Publications pages is published under the Creative Commons CC BY-SA licence. This means that you are welcome to copy or distribute our material, on condition that you give us credit by acknowledging us as the source.