The University of Southampton’s Future Towns Innovation Hub hosted the fifth Clean Water South event on 7 September 2026, bringing researchers, industry, regulators and communities together to turn awareness of water scarcity into practical action.

Under the theme ‘Water Wise: From Insight to Impact’, the event explored water awareness, household behaviour and how individuals, communities and organisations can reduce demand. Since launching in June 2024, Clean Water South has examined water quality, citizen science, pollution, catchment management, climate-related demand and road runoff.

Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen, discussed turning the network’s six policy briefings into projects, creating a shared roadmap and feeding its work into the Clean Water Bill. Andy Clowes of Portsmouth Water highlighted smart metering and personalised engagement: early findings showed smart-meter customers using around 24 litres less water per person per day than the company average, although the group is small and many meters have been installed for under 12 months. Research also found that around three quarters of customers believe they already do all they can to save water.

Sam Underwood and Kimberley Turnbull of Southern Water outlined the South East’s water scarcity challenge and the need to protect the Rivers Test and Itchen. Responses include water efficiency, leakage reduction, new infrastructure and water recycling, using ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis to turn treated wastewater into purified water that can support drinking-water supplies—a technology used internationally for more than 40 years.

Practical initiatives include water-efficiency audits, which since April 2024 have helped schools and businesses identify leaks, install water-saving devices and consider rainwater harvesting; the Business Partnership Fund; and home audits, water-saving kits and education programmes.

Dave Rumble of Wessex Rivers Trust emphasised hyper-local engagement linking water use with personal motivations, community priorities and healthy rivers. Dr Julia Brown of the University of Portsmouth led a session exploring how cost, competition, environmental connections, positive nudges, direct language and different communication channels could motivate households. Attendees finished by making a personal 12-month water-reduction pledge.
Portsmouth Water sponsored the event, and Southern Water volunteered to sponsor the next gathering.