Irrigation Users, the Initial Prospects have been Updated

Since the Environment Agency released the initial irrigation prospects at the beginning of March, we, at Envireau Water, have also been keeping an eye on groundwater and river levels to ensure we can provide the right support to irrigators in the likely season ahead.

While the initial prospects looked good across the majority of England earlier in the year, dry weather has since set in and there are now no areas in ‘good status’ and only five areas classified as ‘good to moderate’. With lower than average rainfall in March and April, and the Met Office forecasting that the dry conditions will continue into mid-May, means that the dreaded ‘D’ word is on everyone’s lips again. River flows and groundwater levels are at normal or below average for this time of the year, but it is important to be vigilant on your current irrigation usage and weather forecasts over the coming weeks and months.

Envireau Water’s James Dodds says “The word drought can be used too early. It is important to be vigilant, but there is time for a lot of rain to fall yet. Early season irrigators need to consider how much stored water to use and how best to abstraction licences now, so that they have a plan for the rest of the season.”

Hands off flow and some groundwater hands off levels will be activated, and abstractors should be alert to the notices from the regulators. Envireau Water is keeping an eye on the situation, but these are a few things you can do to increase your resilience and minimise the potential impact on your business:

• Check your licence conditions to ensure that you know when and what you can abstract and when you need to stop.
• Check that your meters are working and are accurate, so that you are taking the right amount. Did you know that Envireau Water provides a meter verification service?
• Check your entire irrigation system for leaks, delivery pressure and pumps, to ensure that the water you are abstraction is applied as efficiently as possible.
• Use an application scheduling service and data to ensure optimum application depths and timing.

If the dry weather continues, and you are concerned that keeping to the conditions of your abstraction licence will become a problem, get in touch with our licensing experts TamsinMorey@envireauwater.co.uk or PennyJenkinson@envireauwater.co.uk and they will discuss your options with you.

About Envireau Water

At Envireau Water, we are a team of expert water scientists and engineers, who provide guidance on the management and regulation of natural water systems across the UK. By working collaboratively with our clients and the regulators, we deliver robust sustainable solutions that meet the requirements of all stakeholders. With an incredibly loyal client base and our ability to work seamlessly throughout the four nations of the UK, many of our clients know us individually and trust us to find resolutions to their water problems for years to come.

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Envireau Water is an RSK Group Company.