EA’s reservoir abstraction rules frustrate Norfolk farmers

Frustrated farmers in west Norfolk are watching storable river water flow out to sea and be wasted because the Environment Agency is not letting them begin filling reservoirs, despite significant rainfall in November.

The farmers want greater flexibility within winter abstraction licences so they can take advantage of the rainfall now and store the vital water for next year in reservoirs they have been encouraged to build at significant cost.

See also: A guide on how to harvest rainwater on a farm

Jim Scarratt, farm manager on about 1,200ha of cereals and vegetables in the Feltwell area, has a licence to take water from the Little Ouse river between 1 November and 31 March.

Despite 90.5mm of rain so far in November, he has been unable to start pumping water into the 50m gallon reservoir that is a crucial part of the growing operation.

Mr Scarratt has been told by the EA that the river is below the hands-off flow level – a set rate below which abstraction cannot occur.

Little Ouse river levels at the end of November © Jim Scarratt

‘Bit of leeway’

“I need between 62 and 65 days of pumping to fill the reservoir, that’s two months. We’ve already lost November,” Mr Scarratt told Farmers Weekly.

The reservoir could irrigate just over 200ha of onions, potatoes, carrots, sugar beet, spring barley and wheat.

“Other large farming companies around here must have reservoirs that are a lot bigger than ours and they are in the same situation.

“They are gauging it at Abbeygate, which is 10 miles from us, but even further as the river meanders. The river is quite high, I thought there might be a bit of leeway, we’ve had about 90mm of rain this month,” he said.

“None of it is being stored. Where I want to pump from, the water heads out to Denver and then to sea.

“We’ve got empty reservoirs. If there are 10 people between here and the sea who want to pump water, I am sure they could sort something out so we take in turns to pump and we could be saving some of that water. It just seems such a waste,” Mr Scarratt added.

Norfolk agronomist Martyn Cox said East Anglia was facing a “major problem” with next year’s potato crop due to irrigation worries.

He wrote on Twitter: “Farmers were encouraged to create winter fill storage for water. Now they are penalised. They watch water go out to sea and cannot fill reservoirs. What do we do?”

The EA said farmers can apply to take water outside the normal conditions of their abstraction licences. This will be considered and permitted if there is no negative impact on other abstractors or the environment.