A client required a new water supply for spray irrigation, but with licensing issues in the area and numerous local and private water supplies, they needed Envireau Water’s expert support to secure the abstraction licence.
The Challenge
Our client, a leading salad grower in Shropshire, required water for the spray irrigation of crops to be grown on a newly acquired area of land.
Abstracting from the principal aquifer in the area was problematic as there were historic licensing issues, meaning there was a risk that a licence wouldn’t be renewed in the future.
Furthermore, there were numerous private water supplies in the local area, and the owners of these boreholes were concerned that their water supplies would be impacted by the construction and operation of a new borehole supply.
The Envireau Way
After conducting thorough research, our team proposed drilling a borehole to investigate a secondary aquifer in the area. The trial borehole confirmed that the yield from the secondary aquifer was sufficient for our client’s water supply needs and a production borehole was subsequently drilled.
As well as the initial test pumping that was undertaken, our team successfully negotiated with the regulator to allow operational test pumping to take place across the summer in order to gain a more comprehensive data set. This solid evidence base was crucial in supporting the licence application.
To address the concerns from local stakeholders, an extensive monitoring scheme was implemented by our team, providing confidence that the local private water supplies would not be impacted by the operation of the new borehole. The strong relationships we have with our monitoring equipment suppliers, meant we were able to negotiate substantial discounts for the equipment required; cost savings that we were able to pass on to our client.
The Result
The Environment Agency issued a full licence with limited conditions. Due to the efforts of our team, our client is now able to abstract the water that they need for spray irrigation and has been successful in growing water intensive crops on land where it was previously not possible.
Need our Help?
With many years’ of experience, we are able to use our first-hand knowledge to identify pathways to licensing and swiftly navigate the regulatory environment, demonstrated by our track record of successful licensing outcomes across multiple sectors. If you require our abstraction licensing expertise, get in touch.
