River Meon

Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox river The River Meon (Template:IPAc-en) is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at East Meon then flows Template:Convert in a generally southerly direction to empty into the Solent at Hill Head near Stubbington.<ref name="hccstudy">Hampshire County Council (2006). Activities at Titchfield Haven - River Study Template:Webarchive. Retrieved March 19, 2005.</ref> Above Wickham, the river runs through the South Downs National Park.

Course

The River Meon rises one mile (1.6 km) south of the village centre of East Meon. It flows due north, then northwest to West Meon, and southwest to Warnford followed by its characteristic, quite straight, south-southwest course, with many tiny wobbles in short stretches. The river descends through the villages of Exton, Corhampton and Meonstoke, Droxford, Wickham, and Titchfield. The river outflows over Template:Convert of estuary through the marshes of the Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve to enter the Solent through a small harbour at Hill Head.<ref name="osexp119">Ordnance Survey (2005). OS Explorer Map 119 - Meon Valley, Portsmouth, Gosport & Fareham. Template:ISBN.</ref> Overall the valley forms the shape of that of a shepherd's crook.

Navigation

Above the estuary has never been navigable. Titchfield Haven, on the Solent coast was a minor harbour. In the 17th century, the Earl of Southampton caused a sluice (not a canal) to be built (Titchfield Canal) to drain the marshes. The reinstated wetlands form the Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve.<ref name="hccstudy" />

Water quality

The Environment Agency measures the water quality of the river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates, angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated good or fail.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} File:Open Government Licence logo.svg Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.</ref>

Water quality of the River Meon in 2019:

Section	Ecological Status	Chemical Status	Overall Status	Length	Catchment	Channel
Template:Waterqual title	Template:Waterqual good	Template:Waterqual fail	Template:Waterqual mod	Template:Convert	Template:Convert

Gallery

The River Meon, from the South Downs to the Solent River Meon at East Meon 1. East Meon River Meon upstream of the A32 roads bridge at Warnford 2. The Meon at Warnford Bridge over River Meon at Soberton 3. Bridge over River Meon at Soberton River Meon at Mislingford, looking upstream 4. Mislingford Upstream of River Meon as it crosses Ironmill Lane, Fareham, north of the M27 motorway 5. Fareham, north of the M27 motorway River Meon flooding at the bottom of Fishers Hill, Catisfield 6. Flooding in Catisfield Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve 7. Titchfield Haven River Meon at the Solent 8. River Meon at the Solent

See also

• Meonwara - The people who lived in the Meon Valley during the Anglo-Saxon period.

References

<references />

External links

• Ordnance Survey National Grid: {{#if:SU 685 203|{{#invoke:Ordnance Survey coordinates|oscoord|SU 685 203_region:GB_scale:25000|SU 685 203|name=}}}} (source), {{#if:SU 534 023|{{#invoke:Ordnance Survey coordinates|oscoord|SU 534 023_region:GB_scale:25000|SU 534 023|name=}}}} (mouth)
• Current flood status for River Meon, from the Environment Agency