View source for River Meon

{{Short description|River in Hampshire, England}}
{{redirect|Meon}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox river
| name               = River Meon
| image              = MeonSpring.jpg
| image_size         = 
| image_caption      = River Meon Spring
| map                = 
| map_size           = 
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_map_size   = 
| pushpin_map_caption= 
| subdivision_type1  = Country
| subdivision_name1  = [[England]]
| subdivision_type3  = County
| subdivision_name3  = [[Hampshire]]
| length_km = 34
| width_min          = 
| width_avg          = 
| width_max          = 
| depth_min          = 
| depth_avg          = 
| depth_max          = 
| discharge1_location= [[Mislingford]]
| discharge1_min     = {{convert|0.06|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}5&nbsp;August&nbsp;1976
| discharge1_avg     = {{convert|0.98|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}
| discharge1_max     = {{convert|11.0|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}1&nbsp;January&nbsp;2003
| source1            = Meon Spring
| source1_location   = [[East Meon]], [[Hampshire]], [[England]]
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|50.9785|-1.0249|display=inline}}
| source1_elevation  = {{convert|120|m}}
| mouth              = Hill Head Harbour
| mouth_location     = [[The Solent]], [[Hampshire]], [[England]]
| mouth_coordinates  = {{coord|50.8183|-1.2430|display=inline,title}}
| mouth_elevation    = {{convert|0|m}}
}}
The '''River Meon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|iː|ɒ|n}}) is a [[chalk stream]] in [[Hampshire]] in the south of England. It rises at [[East Meon]] then flows {{convert|34|km|mi|abbr=on}} in a generally southerly direction to empty into the [[Solent]] at [[Hill Head]] near [[Stubbington]].<ref name="hccstudy">Hampshire County Council (2006). ''[http://www.hants.gov.uk/countryside/titchfield/schools/riverstudy.html Activities at Titchfield Haven - River Study] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427005727/http://www.hants.gov.uk/countryside/titchfield/schools/riverstudy.html |date=2006-04-27 }}''. Retrieved March 19, 2005.</ref> Above [[Wickham, Hampshire|Wickham]], the river runs through the [[South Downs National Park]].

==Course==
The River Meon rises one mile (1.6&nbsp;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, Hampshire|Exton]], [[Corhampton]] and [[Meonstoke]], [[Droxford]], [[Wickham, Hampshire|Wickham]], and [[Titchfield]]. The river outflows over {{convert|2|mi}} of estuary through the marshes of the [[Titchfield Haven NNR|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''. {{ISBN|0-319-23596-3}}.</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 [[invertebrate]]s, [[angiosperm]]s and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations, is rated good or fail.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/help/glossary |website=Catchment Data Explorer |title=Glossary (see Biological quality element; Chemical status; and Ecological status) |publisher=Environment Agency |date=17 February 2016}}  [[File:Open Government Licence logo.svg|30px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under an [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.</ref>

Water quality of the River Meon in 2019:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Section !! Ecological<br/>Status !! Chemical<br/>Status !! Overall<br/>Status !! Length !! Catchment !! Channel
|-
| {{waterqual_title |desc= Meon |asset= GB107042016640}} 
| {{waterqual_good}}
| {{waterqual_fail}}
| {{waterqual_mod}}
| {{convert| 46.245 |km|mi|abbr=on}}
| {{convert| 108.059 |km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| 
|}

==Gallery==
{|
|<gallery caption="The River Meon, from the [[South Downs]] to the [[Solent]]" mode=packed heights=165>
File:River Meon at East Meon - geograph.org.uk - 425106.jpg|alt=River Meon at East Meon|1. East Meon 
File:River Meon upstream, of the A32 roads bridge at Warnford - geograph.org.uk - 239505.jpg|alt=River Meon upstream of the A32 roads bridge at Warnford|2. The Meon at [[Warnford]]
File:Bridge carrying King's Way across River Meon at Soberton - geograph.org.uk - 237768.jpg|alt=Bridge over River Meon at Soberton|3. Bridge over River Meon at [[Soberton]]
File:Mislingford - geograph.org.uk - 400701.jpg|alt=River Meon at Mislingford, looking upstream|4. [[Mislingford]]
File:View upstream of River Meon as it crosses Ironmill Lane - geograph.org.uk - 458456.jpg|alt=Upstream of River Meon as it crosses Ironmill Lane, Fareham, north of the M27 motorway|5. [[Fareham]], north of the [[M27 motorway]] 
File:River Meon flooding over Fishers Hill road - geograph.org.uk - 1157558.jpg|alt=River Meon flooding at the bottom of Fishers Hill, Catisfield|6. Flooding in [[Catisfield]]
File:Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve - geograph.org.uk - 94769.jpg|alt=Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve|7. [[Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve|Titchfield Haven]]
File:The Mouth of the River Meon. - geograph.org.uk - 193535.jpg|alt=River Meon at the Solent|8. River Meon at the [[Solent]]
</gallery>
|}
==See also==
* [[Meonwara]] - The people who lived in the Meon Valley during the Anglo-Saxon period.

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [[Ordnance Survey National Grid]]: {{gbmappingsmall|SU 685 203}} (source), {{gbmappingsmall|SU 534 023}} (mouth)
* [http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/flood/floodwarning/F1E2 Current flood status] for River Meon, from the [[Environment Agency]]

{{Hydrology of Hampshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Rivers of Hampshire|Meon, River]]