Water Quality

The rivers and streams of the National Park are key wildlife habitats and part of its natural beauty.

Together with groundwater they are also vital to provide drinking water.

The quality of water in rivers, streams and groundwater is impacted by land management.

Good land management is important to protect drinking water quality as well as environment and wildlife.

Below you will find helpful information in maintaining the water quality of your equine land.

Find out more about the importance of groundwater from The Aquifer Partnership or check out this information from Portsmouth Water.

• Hay soaking

  As hay is soaked to remove nutrients, dust and fungal spores these remain behind in the soaking water, or effluent.

  This effluent can pollute rivers, streams and groundwater.

  Hay soaking effluent must be disposed into a foul drain (the same drain that takes water from toilets, sinks, washing machines etc.).

  It must not be tipped or drained into a surface water drain or soakaway meant for clean rain water, or into a watercourse such as a stream or river, or a drainage ditch.

• Wash down areas

  Sediment in water from washing off mud and chemicals found in shampoos can pollute watercourses.

  This water must not be discharged to a watercourse, ditch, surface water drain or soakaway.

  Water butts can be used to harvest rainwater to use for muddy hooves and boots.

  Dirty water can then be poured onto rough grass or undergrowth (not near a stream or river).

• Washing down yards and stables

  Water from washing down yards must be dealt with carefully, especially if washing out urine.

  This must not be washed into a surface water drain, soakaway or directly to a ditch, river or stream.

  In some cases it may be possible to use woodchips to soak up water/disinfectant, sweep and dispose of the woodchip on the muck heap and then allow the area to dry.

  Another alternative is powdered disinfectant/deodoriser.

  Shampoos, unused medications, lotions etc. These must be disposed of correctly in waste or given back to your vet, not poured down drains.

• Muck heaps

  Horse manure contains high levels of nutrients such as nitrate, as well as parasites and bacteria.  Manure is classed as waste.  The Environment Agency states that everyone who handles waste has a ‘Duty of Care’ to store and dispose of it correctly.  Manure must be stored correctly to avoid inadvertently polluting watercourses and groundwater. A way to ensure you are handling manure correctly is to follow best practice guidelines designed for agriculture:

  • Either store the manure in the yard with the provision to capture any effluent (slurry).  Slurry can be avoided by roofing the muck heap.
  • Store in an appropriately located temporary field heap:
  • make sure your field heap is at least 10 metres from any surface water (such as a river, pond or ditch) or land drain, or 30 metres if the land slopes at 12 degrees or more
  • make sure the location of the field heap is not liable to being waterlogged or flooded
  • locate field heaps at least 50 metres from a spring well or borehole
  • move the field heap at least every 12 months
  • leave a 2 year gap before returning to the same site
  • keep a record of the sites used for field heaps and the dates of use.
  • If muck is spread to land this must be done at an appropriate rate and timing to match the crop requirements.

  To protect groundwater, manure heaps should not be located within 50 metres of a ‘karst feature’.

  These are features such as depressions in the ground, sink holes and old chalk pits which may link with channels in the underlying chalk allowing pollutants to travel quickly through to groundwater below.

  The Catchment Management team at your local water company may be able to assist with the location of such features.