"Land drainage" covers subjects such as rivers, ditches,
culverts, streams, lakes, dams and ground water. See our
flooding pages
for information about what to do when things go wrong.
Main rivers - Environment Agency - Floodline 0845
988 1188
Maintaining the flow in these rivers and streams is the
responsibility of the adjoining landowners but is enforced by
the
Environment
Agency.
Land drainage - Private landowners (advice: Havant
Borough Council - 023 9244 6013)
The responsibility for the maintenance of smaller
watercourses, stream and ditches rests, like main rivers, with the
adjacent landowner. Both the Borough Council and the Environment
Agency have powers to ensure the ditches are maintained, but if
either needs to take action in respect of a watercourse on private
land we can carry out the work required and reclaim the cost
from the landowner(s).
No-one is allowed to carry out work in, on or near
watercourses and other drainage features without the
written consent of the Environment Agency.
Building a flood defence in one place might place more stress on a river elsewhere, sometimes creating a bigger problem then existed before. The Environment Agency now leads the production of CFMPs which take an all-embracing look at a river area, and will manage flood risk for this bigger picture. Havant is covered by the South East Hampshire Plan, the latest draft version of which is online here, with the final version expected during early summer 2009
Groundwater in the chalk rock gives rise to springs, and many of the rivers in our area have lengths which only flow in wetter parts of the year. This link to the Environment Agency provides current information about how high groundwater levels are, and hence the likelihood of flooding from that source.
The Borough's land drainage forms a number of catchment areas, each of which flows into the sea by a particular river. These pages discuss each catchment in turn, covering geology, topography, and some of the local drainage issues
Land drainage responsibilities, who does what, what the Council is responsible for and what private landowners must do
Riparian rights and responsibilities for land drainage - who should do what