& Access Recreation,

Conservation,

Report 2009

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Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 2 Area of Supply ......................................................................................................................... 2 Company Sites with Amenity Value ....................................................................................... 3 Non‐Company Sites ................................................................................................................ 4 The Nature Reserve and Centre ............................................................................................. 5 Sailing ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Fishing ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Project �Little Bough� .............................................................................................................. 8 Facilities for the Disabled ....................................................................................................... 9 Liaison ..................................................................................................................................... 9 The Nonsuch Bowmen .......................................................................................................... 11 The Surrey Society of Model Engineers ................................................................................ 12 Conservation ......................................................................................................................... 12 Donation of a diesel engine to museum .............................................................................. 13 E‐Billing Service ..................................................................................................................... 14 Electronic version of theConservation, Access and Recreation (CAR) Report ..................... 14 Water Conservation .............................................................................................................. 15 Fetcham Pond ....................................................................................................................... 18 Environmental ...................................................................................................................... 19 Climate Change ..................................................................................................................... 19 Recycling ............................................................................................................................... 19

The Bough Beech Education Centre ..................................................................................... 22 School Visits ‐ Educational Co‐ordinator .............................................................................. 25 Wildlife Trusts ....................................................................................................................... 25 Fishing ................................................................................................................................... 25 Sailing .................................................................................................................................... 25 Hobbies ................................................................................................................................. 25 Sutton and East Surrey Water PLC ....................................................................................... 26

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Conservation, Recreation and Access

Report for Year Ending March 2009

Introduction This report aims to inform customers of the resources and pursuits available to them on

the lands presently owned or partially maintained by the Company.

A summary of the nature and extent of the Company�s landholdings can be found on page

11 of this report. No land used for recreational purposes was sold by the Company during

the year.

The Company�s land has been used by a variety of different interest groups from the

community, for recreational and environmental purposes. There have also been

environmental initiatives on non‐Company sites.

Area of Supply Sutton and East Surrey Water supplies a population of approximately 650,000 within an

area of 834 square kilometres in the London Boroughs of Sutton, Merton and Croydon and

in East Surrey and West Kent. Across the northern area of supply lies the North Downs, a

range of chalk hills, large areas of which are designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural

Beauty. Chalk is the most important aquifer in this part of the country and supplied all the

water the Company needed until the 1950s with the exception of small greensand sources

at Westwood which formerly belonged to the Limpsfield and Oxted Water Company who

merged with East Surrey Water in 1930.

The greensand ridge lies a few miles south of the North Downs and runs west to east from

Dorking to Limpsfield Chart. The greensand is now an important water bearing strata

providing the Company with a valuable resource.

Boreholes in the chalk and greensand provide 85% of the Company�s water, the remainder

coming from a reservoir at Bough Beech which is fed by pumping from the River Eden

during the winter.

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Most of the Company�s land is unsuitable for conservation, recreation and access being

urban sites, agricultural land let for grazing or other agricultural use, and sites in areas of

outstanding natural beauty, too small in themselves to be of use, which are maintained to

blend in with their natural background.

Company Sites with Amenity Value Bough Beech reservoir has a nature reserve managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust, sailing run

by the Bough Beech Sailing Club, and fishing organised by Honeycroft (BBR).

Chiddingstone river intake allows fishing along a stretch of the River Eden and is let to the

South Norwood Angling Club.

North Looe reservoir has land used by the Nonsuch Bowmen, an archery club, who maintain

a full programme of meetings.

Fetcham Pond which is situated beside a public footpath is maintained as a visual amenity,

and the land nearby is let to the Surrey Society of Model Engineers for a model railway

track.

4

Non‐Company Sites Carshalton Ponds has been provided with a new concrete base, laid and maintained by the

Company. It is a condition of the Company�s abstraction licence for The Oaks borehole that

it augments flows into the ponds, as necessary, by recycling water from the River Wandle by

means of a pumping station at Goat Bridge.

A similar maintenance arrangement exists at Bourne Hall Lake in Ewell, where the lake is

linked to the Company�s licence to abstract from a borehole at Nonsuch Park.

Both these sites underwent major refurbishment during 1996/7, detailed articles appeared

in the report for that year.

In 2004 SESW made a donation to the Surrey Wildlife Trust to help in work securing the

future of the Godstone Bay Pond.

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Bough Beech Reservoir and Chiddingstone River Intake The Nature Reserve and Centre The nature reserve occupies about 18 hectares at the northern end of Bough Beech

Reservoir. The whole of the reserve can be seen from the causeway at Winkhurst Green,

and it continues to be a very popular spot for bird watching. The Bough Beech Centre is a

carefully converted 19th century oast house adjacent to the reserve and its informative

displays attract thousands of visitors a year. The surrounding farmland, ponds, streams,

woods and orchards set the scene for a peaceful and most enjoyable countryside

experience.

The Centre, which is run totally by volunteers from the Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT), is open to

the public from April to the end of October on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank

Holiday Mondays from 11 am to 4.30 pm.

The facilities include toilets, a picnic barn and a small shop, for further details regarding the

nature reserve or the work carried out by the KWT their address is detailed inside the back

cover.

The Centre�s displays include; details of

the reservoir, its construction and present

day working; information on hop growing

and how the oast house was used in the

past; how the nature reserve provides

habitats for so many resident and visiting

birds; and details of the many plants and

animals which thrive along the nature trail.

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The Company works closely with the KWT and now offer a dual visit for school children. The

morning is spent at the nature reserve and Oast House and the afternoon visit is at the

reservoir and water treatment works.

School visits can be arranged for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays by pre‐booking

through the Company�s educational co‐ordinator Jo Hedges. A wide variety of activities

including pond dipping and bird watching can be arranged.

As always this year the reservoir has been a great place for bird watching over the last year,

with the usual collection of waterfowl, waders and raptors. Highlights this year included

several sightings of Red Kites and one of an Osprey.

For further details please send for an Education Services Pack from Jo Hedges whose

address is detailed inside the back cover.

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Sailing Sailing on the reservoir is run by the Bough Beech Sailing Club which leases from the

Company a clubhouse which underwent a major refurbishment during 2005. The project

was jointly funded by the Sailing Club and the Company and now the clubhouse provides

excellent modern facilities.

The club is a recognised Royal Yachting Association teaching establishment for levels 1 to 5

of the dinghy sailing certificate and up to level 3 for powerboat/rescue coxswain courses.

Further information can be obtained from the membership secretary whose address is

detailed inside the back cover.

The sailing programme centres around racing for

various classes and a handicap fleet on Sundays,

with trophies being awarded for success in seasonal

series. For classes with a big enough turnout open

meetings are held giving an opportunity for helms

to sail against visitors on their own water.

Saturdays are used mainly for cruising and tuition

with opportunities for training activities for juniors

or schools to engage in team racing and tactics.

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Fishing Fishing on the reservoir is organised by Honeycroft (BBR), which is run by Ken Crow who has

long experience of running fisheries. Pike fishing took place, as usual, in October. Coarse

fishing was undertaken for the rest of the year.

Coarse fishing along the Company's stretch of the River Eden is let to South Norwood

Angling Club and further information can be obtained from the Chairman whose address is

detailed inside the back cover.

Project �Little Bough�

Further information can be obtained from Ken Crow whose address is detailed inside the

back cover.

The pike fishing continues to

improve and Bough Beech is

still one of the top pike fisheries

in the UK with a number of

specimens landed to 36lbs in

weight

During the winter months of

2002/3 Fishery Management

Student�s, from Hadlow

College, assisted Sutton & East

Water in restoring a 200 year

old clay pond at Bough Beech

Reservoir. More details appear

in the 2004 report.

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Facilities for the Disabled

Liaison The Conservation Consultative Committee met on 17 September 2008. Most of the time has

been spent maintaining the nature reserve and its varied habitats in accordance with well

established policies.

The Recreation Consultative Committee which represents all the interests using the

reservoir area, together with both Sundridge and Chiddingstone Parish Councils and

Sevenoaks District Council, met on 17 September 2008.

The Company owns a �wheelyboat�

for use on Bough Beech reservoir.

This is a boat designed by the

Handicapped Anglers Trust which

can accommodate two people in

their wheelchairs and one other

person. Although designed for use

by anglers it may be used for bird‐

watching, photography or just

cruising. It may be used by

contacting Honeycroft (BBR) or the

Company ‐ see contact names and

addresses detailed inside the back

cover.

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SITE PURPOSE

AREA (Hectares)

ENVIRONMENT DESIGNATION

REDHILL HQ Office and Depot 1.73 None

BOUGH BEECH Reservoir and Treatment Works 214.67 (inc 116.24 Ha of Water) GB, SNCI

CHIDDINGSTONE River Intake 11.66 GB, SLA

LEATHERHEAD Boreholes and Pumping Station 0.25 None

FETCHAM Springs and Boreholes 21.41 GB, SNCI

ELMER AND YOUNG STREET Boreholes and Treatment Works 9.14 GB

DORKING Boreholes and Treatment Works 3.03 GB

KENLEY, PURLEY, AND SMITHAM Boreholes and Treatment Works 4.42 None

CHEAM Boreholes and Treatment Works 2.97 None

WOODMANSTERNE Boreholes and Treatment Works 1.34 None

URBAN SITES 7 sites ‐ service water reservoirs, treatment works, boreholes 3.97 None

CHALK HILL SITES 25 sites ‐ service reservoirs, water towers and booster pumping stations 29.19 AONB (11) GB(21) SSSI (see note)

GODSTONE Boreholes and Treatment Works 3.95 GB

WESTWOOD Boreholes and Treatment Works 1.56 AONB, BG

PAINES HILL Springs and Pumping Station 7.41 GB

GREENSAND SITES 11 Borehole Sites and 2 Service Water Reservoirs 7.78 AONB (5), GB (12)

COLDHARBOUR Service Water Reservoir 0.04 Sch.M. (Anstiebury Camp), AONB, GB

DRY HILL Service Water Reservoir 0.79 Sch.M., GB

WEALD SITES 7 sites ‐ service water reservoirs, booster pumping station, water tower 7.07 GB (All)

Details of Company Holdings

Environmental Designations: GB Green Belt SNCI Site of Nature Conservation Importance SLA Special Landscape Area AONB Area of Outstanding National Beauty SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest Sch.M. Scheduled Monument Note: The Chalk Hill Sites include a pumping station at Headley. The Company owns about two hectares of woodland adjoining the pumping station situated at the eastern edge of a SSSI which extends for 1000 hectares and is known as the Mole Gap to Reigate Escarpment.

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Other Activities Recreation The Nonsuch Bowmen

At North Looe reservoir site is an archery club, The Nonsuch Bowmen, shoots on

Wednesday evenings and weekends during the spring, summer and autumn. Some

members shoot there in the winter too.

The Club was formed in 1954 and used to shoot near Nonsuch Park ‐ hence its name. In

1975 it moved to its present range through permission from the Company. The bow most in

use today is the recurve bow, the type shot at the Olympic Games. Another sort of bow is

the compound as used by the "Rambo" character in films. Both are more efficient than the

longbow of historic fame. Club members using each type of bow have represented Surrey at

archery tournaments.

The Club is mainly for target archery. This means it shoots at North Looe, and at outside

tournaments, in an open field at targets set at measured distances between 30 metres and

100 yards. The Club shoots indoors in the winter using an archery shop's purpose‐built

range. Some of the archers enjoy field archery at other venues during the winter. This type

of shooting often takes place in woods and can involve estimating distances to the targets.

The Nonsuch Bowmen welcome new members and run "Beginners Courses" every spring

starting mid‐April. All equipment is provided. After the course it can be hired from the Club

for a nominal charge.

Further information can be obtained from the Honorary Secretary whose name and

address is detailed inside the back cover.

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The Surrey Society of Model Engineers

A piece of land at Fetcham Springs is leased to the Surrey Society of Model Engineers, where

they have built model railways tracks in four gauges from 2½� to 7¼�, the largest for

locomotives capable of hauling passengers. They have a full programme of meetings and

further information can be obtained from their Honorary Secretary whose name and

address is detailed inside the back cover.

Conservation Sutton and East Surrey Water�s business is based on respect for the environment. The

Company is fully aware of its responsibilities and have identified three main areas of

concern ‐ use of energy, leakage and communications. Energy consumption and water

abstraction rates have been reduced by control of leakage and bursts.

Our communication is continually monitored to ensure that it is environmentally friendly

and effective. In the last year the Company has been involved in a number of conservation

projects with other local agencies.

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At the same time the Company continued with its existing commitments to conservation at

its various sites and through its corporate membership of the Kent and Surrey Wildlife

Trusts.

A customer magazine is issued yearly to all customers with information on all key Company

activities. We also have a website on the Internet which has been visited 137,198 times

during the year.

Donation of a diesel engine to museum During February 2005 we donated one of our 1935 diesel engines to the Internal Fire

Museum of Power in Ceredigion, Wales. The engine was removed from our Leatherhead

Pumping Station.

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E‐Billing Service

Sutton and East Surrey Water (www.waterplc.com) was the first utility company in the UK

to give its customers the opportunity of being billed and accessing all aspects of their

account details via the Internet.

Each customer who wants to use the new service is given a Personal Identification Number,

which is used in conjunction with an account number to gain access to the online service.

From this secure area of the website the customer can see all details of their current and

previous accounts.

In March 2000 the Company went live with the e‐billing service. Customers are able to log in

to the Sutton and East Surrey Water website to view and pay their latest bill. The facility

also allows customers to change the payment method, enter meter readings and generally

communicate with the company.

A particular advantage for customers is that they can obtain information about their

accounts or anything else to do with Sutton and East Surrey Water at their convenience at

any time of day. All the information we provide to customers is now on our website. From

the environmental point of view it will also save a lot of paper and energy.

The number of e‐billing customers is currently 3200.

Electronic version of the Conservation, Access and Recreation (CAR) Report Due to the increasing number of requests of the CAR report via e‐mail the report is now

produced on our website. Anyone wishing to read or download the report is able to do so

via the website. If requests are received for a hard copy then we will print this off ourselves

and send via the post. This initiative reduces the amount of paper and energy used in the

traditional method of printing brochures.

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Water Conservation In the last year a large effort has been made to promote water efficiency by a number of

ongoing initiatives.

• Our leakage is still one of the lowest in the country with the effect that the amount

of water distributed now is the same as in the mid 1970�s even though the

population supplied over the last thirty years has risen by 68,000 from 580,000 to

648,000. Work continues to reduce this level even lower.

• In the last year 3,936 household meters have been installed on change of occupancy

or where a customer has a swimming pool which is replenished by automatic means

and/or has an unattended garden watering device. It is envisaged that that this type

of metering will lead to a reduction in water consumption particularly during the

summer months. A further 3,243 meters were installed for those customers opting

to have one fitted free of charge.

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• A significant part of our customer magazine and website is devoted to water

conservation. This year customers are being offered a free shower timer to help

them reduce water and energy use in the bathroom, which accounts for 20% of

water and 25% of energy in the home.

• Our head office has waterless urinals and recycles rainwater from the roof for toilet

flushing.

• The Bough Beech Education Centre features many aspects of water conservation,

with information and quiz sheets given to schools and pupils on how to use water

wisely. During Autumn 2008, pupils were invited to enter a persuasive letter writing

competition to demonstrate how they would encourage others to use water more

efficiently. The winner from St Johns Primary School in Caterham is pictured below.

• Over 7,900 toilet cistern displacement devices have been distributed to customers

on request, at events and to pupils visiting the Education Centre. Each device saves

at least one litre of water with every flush. A discounted water butt offer has also

been popular with customers.

• We took part in a pioneering project to improve water efficiency on a social housing

estate in Tadworth, which included fitting rainwater harvesting as well as ultra low

flush toilets, achieving water savings of up to 25%. The project, named the Preston

Water Efficiency Initiative, received interest nationally and locally from the media as

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well as the rest of the Water Industry. The picture below shows the installation of

one of the rainwater harvesting tanks.

• We completed a trial with over 100 customers of a new award‐winning product

which converts existing toilets to dual flush

• Water efficiency audits are being carried out in schools, hospitals, nursing homes

and hotels, and are promoted to all businesses and organisations

• �Every Drop Counts� stickers are being distributed to hospitality premises, including

hotels and restaurants, to place above sinks in washrooms

• Water saving signs have been designed and attached to Company vans to increase

promotion of water conservation messages

• We are working with the Energy Saving Trust to help them develop advice to be

provided in their Regional Energy Advice Centres

• We are working with two Housing Associations to improve the water efficiency of

their properties when maintenance or refurbishment work is carried out

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Fetcham Pond Fetcham Pond continues to be maintained with the help and advice of a member of the

Leatherhead and District Countryside Protection Society. In this area two conservation

projects have been previously undertaken.

The first is a wildflower project on the land surrounding part of the pond. In the past the

grass was cut on a regular basis, after discussions with a local environmentalist it was

agreed to reduce the frequency of cuts to twice per year to allow wildflowers to establish

themselves.

The second was a hedgerow planting project on Company land along the boundary of the

above site. This was carried out by the Fetcham Residents Association with support from the

Lower Mole Countryside Management Project, Sutton and East Surrey Water and the

Company�s tenant farmer. The hedgerow will increase the wildlife habitat and make the

area more attractive. Also a further tree planting scheme took place around the perimeter

of the mill pond using native trees.

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Environmental

Climate Change Sutton and East Surrey Water calculate and report on the greenhouses gas emissions

resulting from the fuel it uses (petrol, diesel, LPG) and the electricity and gas it consumes.

This is reported to OFWAT on an annual basis.

Due to water being sourced predominately from deep boreholes and the pumping of the

water up onto the North Downs, the electricity consumed in pumping water is the highest

component of the greenhouse gases emitted by the company. During 2008, the company

emitted 30,600 tonnes CO2 equivalent.

Sutton and East Surrey Water is committed to reducing its emissions. The main method

that the company employs is to reduce the quantity of water that it abstracts from the

ground and is pumped into the distribution system. This is achieved by an active leakage

management programme and educating our customers in water use and increased water

efficiency.

Sutton and East Surrey Water also have a rolling programme of testing, maintenance and

equipment replacement to ensure that it uses its electricity as efficiently as possible.

Recycling

At Bough Beech Water Treatment Works the Company looked for an environmentally better

option of disposing the sludge produced to licensed landfill. ADAS conducted grow trials and

the sludge was shown to provide benefits to certain types of crops. The sludge is now

spread onto farm crops locally to Bough Beech.

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We are one of the few water companies that soften the water that is supplied to customers.

As a result of the treatment process a waste product is produced that consists of grains of

sand which are coated in calcium hardness, known as �softening beads� they resemble small

( 1 to 2 mm ) white pearls. Rather than dispose to landfill these softening beads are recycled

into other products such as infill material for shower trays (see picture below).

At the head office there are a number of recycling facilities. These include facilities for;

• Paper

• Cardboard

• Plastic cups

• Aluminium and steel cans

• Printer cartridges (for Water Aid)

• Batteries

• Electronic equipment

• Mobile phones (for Water Aid)

• Spectacles (for Vision Aid)

• Stamps (for Guide Dogs for the blind).

Unserviceable plastic and metal fittings taken from our underground infrastructure are also

recycled for the raw material.

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Community

Being part of the local community Sutton and East Surrey Water believe that it should

actively participate within it. During the year several local charitable causes and cultural

events were supported by the Company.

Sutton and East Surrey Water continues to seek close relations with its customers and with

local interest and amenity groups. Speakers are provided for clubs and societies. Two talks

were given during the year, this number excludes schools.

Charities

Sutton & East Surrey Water actively encourages it staff to raise money or help charities.

Being a water company we support Water Aid�s efforts in ensuring safe water for

communities around the world. Our staff contribute to Water Aid through a monthly lottery

scheme and take part in a number of events. The picture below shows our staff climbing

Pen y Fan as part of Water Aid�s Trial 100.

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Schools

Sutton and East Surrey Water, continues to actively encourage schools in our supply area to

take part in our education programme, which supports Key Stage 2 national curriculum

science and geography topics. The programme, which is free of charge, continues to be

extremely popular. In 2008 3,549 children visited our works at Bough Beech and talks were

given to 7,301 children at their schools and other organisations.

School talks can either be pre‐visit talks, preparing the

children for their visit to Bough Beech Treatment

Works and Reservoir, or one of our three school‐based

talks on �Water for Health� or �Water Efficiency�.

A selection of imaginative resources accompanies each

of the talks which are left at the school. Our aim is to

attract visits from and talk to all Key Stage 2 schools in our supply area and to this end have

applied for the, �Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge�.

The Bough Beech Education Centre

The purpose‐built Education Centre at Bough Beech provides schools with a dedicated space

with a stimulating classroom environment for

the Company�s educational co‐ordinator and her

team of tutors to stimulate the school children

and make learning about water, water efficiency

and the environment an enjoyable experience.

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A feature of the classroom is a light‐chasing display

board that is used to demonstrate the flow of the

water through the different treatment stages. The

information panels are currently under review and

the cartoon characters �Flow and Squirt� have

been brought up to date.

A bottle display in the corridor brings home to adults and children alike just how much

water they use � the 1,100 litres used by the hosepipe in one hour always causes a reaction.

The scale model of the treatment works and the relief model of the reservoir and dam are

other visual learning tools that help the children to get the most from their day.

An outdoor area, which is surrounded by drought‐resistant plants, also makes an attractive

picnic area. The Centre was formally opened by Alan Meale MP, Parliamentary Under

Secretary of State for the DETR on 8th July 1999 and the 10th anniversary will be celebrated

next year.

At the end of the tour the children are given a colourful quiz to complete to help consolidate

their learning.

A goodie bag is sent home with the visiting children which includes worksheets, support

information, posters and every child is given a Save‐a‐flush cistern displacement bag to take

home to reinforce the Water Efficiency message.

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Dipping pond

Within the grounds of the treatment works at Bough

Beech there is also a purpose‐built dipping pond which is

available for schools to use if they wish to include this as

an aspect of their visit.

Richard Rap

Supply Manager

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Directory

Sutton and East Surrey Water ‐ contact Richard Rap, Supply Manager, address and

telephone number on the following page.

School Visits ‐ Educational Co‐ordinator Jo Hedges, Jo.hedges@surreyhouseuk.com Tel: 07824 635581.

Wildlife Trusts Kent Wildlife Trust, Tyland Barn, Sandling, Kent, ME14 3BD. Tel: 01622 662012.

Surrey Wildlife Trust, School Lane Pirbright, Woking, Surrey, GU24 0JN. Tel: 01483 795 440.

Fishing Fishing Management (coarse fishing, carp and pike fishing).

Ken Crow, Honeycroft ( BBR ), Three Elm Lane, Golden Green, Tonbridge, Kent, TN11 0BS.

Tel: 01732 851544

South Norwood Angling Club (coarse fishing on the river Eden).

Paul Tarrant, Chairman, 38 Spring Park Road, Shirley, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 5ED, Tel: 07901

851067, e‐mail: tarrantpaas@aol.com.

Sailing John Cunningham, Acting Membership Secretary, Bough Beech Sailing Club, 7 Hamilton Road, Sidcup, Kent, DA15 7HB, Tel: 07976 937 033, E‐mail: jdc@fish.co.uk, www.boughbeechsc.org.uk

Hobbies Surrey Society of Model Engineers. Paul, 01883 344 048, www.ssme.co.uk. , E‐mail:

enquiries@ssme.co.uk.

Nonsuch Bowmen. Mr Leslie Bashford, Hon. Secretary, 2A Woodend, Sutton, Surrey SM1

3LH. Tel: 02081 641 0725 www.nonsuchbowmen.org.uk

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Sutton and East Surrey Water PLC Registered Office: London Road, Redhill, Surrey RH1 1LJ

Tel: 01737 772000 Fax: 01737 766807

Website www.waterplc.com

Note: Many of the environmental pictures produced with the kind permission of

Jeremy Early