Brighton ChaMP for Water
You’re thirsty. You turn on a tap, the glass fills and you drink without a second thought. How lucky we are to enjoy this privilege. But did you know that if you live near the National Park – particularly on the southern coast – it’s the chalk of the South Downs we have to thank?
Chalk is porous and holds water like a sponge. Between the Adur and Ouse valleys alone this aquifer enables Southern Water to pump enough groundwater to fill more than 15,000 Olympic swimming pools each year. It’s a vital resource for both homes and businesses in an otherwise relatively dry part of the country, and it sustains rare and nationally important habitats such as chalk streams and wetlands.
But as with many of our natural resources this groundwater is under threat – from population pressures and as a side effect of modern farming and lifestyles. Brighton ChaMP for Water is taking action to address the threat and ensure our groundwater remains a sustainable resource for the future.
