Developing the South Forty Foot Water Bank - A pilot study

Climate change is having an adverse impact upon weather patterns, with prolonged periods of warmer weather and drought being predicted.

Water has been essential for the production of quality salads, potatoes and other vegetables for some time. Climate change will increase that requirement. Non-traditionally irrigated crops are also more likely to have an economic response to irrigation.

At the same time, sources of water are reducing; abstraction licences are being reduced or withdrawn to protect both the environment and groundwater sources for public water supply.

The project relates to novel methods of storing water for use in the irrigation of arable crops, in particular high value potato, salads and vegetable production.

It will explore the collaborative storage and use of water in a landscape scale, utilising appropriate technologies.

The utilisation of water that would otherwise be pumped out to sea is sustainable and holding it in the landscape has potential environmental benefits.

If successful it would improve sustainability and resilience of our food supply whilst having environmental benefits including the reduction is greenhouse gas emissions.

The pilot study should lead to the development of a template which could be copied and utilised in many other low lying areas of Britain that are subject to pumped drainage.