OUR CHALLENGES
The following factors are all building pressure on the long term availability of water for our members to produce food:
Competition for water
The demand for water from many sectors across the ESWAG region, not only through public water supply, but through developments in AI hubs, hydrogen production and industrial and housing developments, is increasing at an alarming rate with predictions that usage in our region will double by 2050.
Environmental ambition
Clearly there is a need to improve our protection of the valuable environment we operate in and the clear targets being set by the Environment Agency, mean a reduction in many current sources used for abstraction.
Climate change
Now well documented, the impacts of future climate change will increase the demand for water with increasing number and duration of drought events in East Anglia.
Abstraction licence reductions
All of the above factors have resulted in the Environment Agency having to reduce the volumes abstracted by many of our members, as licenses that were issued up to 50 years ago are no longer deemed to be fit for purpose.
Behaviour change
ESWAG recognise that the old ways of abstracting water for food production are unsustainable and that it needs to make its members aware of the need to change and to help them find truly sustainable sources to future proof their businesses. To achieve this, ESWAG need to define what is at risk for individual abstractors in order for them to see the need for change.
One environment, one catchment, multiple rules
Because there are multiple stakeholders who have abstraction rights in the same catchment as ESWAG members, we are working with the Environment Agency to ensure that the needs of our food producers are fairly balanced with those of public water supply and industry. Working with our Norfolk abstractors we have formed the Water for Food group to help lobby local and national decision makers and to help them to understand the value of water for food. To this end we have recently commissioned a report to highlight the value of water for food in East Anglia, targeting the decision makers so they are aware of the impact of their future policy decisions.
How ESWAG are meeting these challenges
Heat maps
In 2021 ESWAG working closely with our local EA office helped in the development of Heat Maps for all of the 21 ESWAG catchments. These identify what potential reductions in volume individual abstractors could be exposed to.
Water transfer projects
As part of finding new ways of finding sustainable sources for our members, ESWAG were central to the development of Felixstowe Hydrocycle which recycles drainage water that was heading to the north sea, back in land to fill members reservoirs
Water storage projects
As most of the sustainable future water supplies will be only available in the winter, ESWAG continue to support its members by working with EA and DEFRA to help provide grant funding options and both national and local planners in order to smooth the process for building winter storage reservoirs.
