Wessex Water will shortly start work on two studies to monitor watercourses in the Dorset area. The work is being carried out to understand the effect of current abstraction and how this may change following the construction of a new water supply grid.  

The two-year studies will investigate how water abstraction for public water supply affects the ecology and flows of local rivers, by monitoring the Devils Brook and two tributaries of the River Stour - the River Tarrant and the Pimperne Brook.

Over the coming months ecologists from Wessex Water will be collecting samples from the rivers and assessing flows using monitoring equipment.

The grid scheme involves water supply pipelines and sources becoming more connected, enabling the water company to supply communities around the area with water from more than one source, and improve the resilience of supply to customers.  Part of the scheme includes a new service reservoir  currently under construction in Sturminster Marshall.

Ian Colley, who is project managing the flow investigations, said:

"Following discussions with the Environment Agency and local community groups we will look to see how abstraction currently affects watercourses in the Devils Brook and Middle Stour and how this may change once the grid is finished."

He added: "We are committed to protecting the local environment and through the study we hope to find out if we need to be doing more to protect the local river flows."