In April 2021, the Advertiser and Times reported that New Forest District Council had come out against a Southern Water desalination plant near Fawley in Hampshire. The Ashlett Creek facility, costed at about 600 million pounds, would treat 75 million litres of seawater a day (75,000 m³/day) and needed a 25 km pipeline to Testwood in Totton. Council leader Edward Heron cited a heavy carbon footprint and risks to protected habitats in the Solent and the New Forest. Southern Water pointed to reduced abstraction licences on the Test and Itchen.
The report showed a typical trade-off: the utility wanted to relieve rivers during drought, while the council and residents raised energy use, protected habitats and a cheaper reservoir option at Havant Thicket.
Source: Advertiser and Times