Water Management & Usage

Now & For the Future

Philip Dunn, WCM / Brown & Co

John Gatenby, Littlethorpe Farm

Philip Dodd, Sandhutton Growers Ltd

Andrew Morton, JSR Farms Ltd

8th December 2011

International Perspective

Water Exploitation Index

National PerspectiveEngland and Wales Water Supply Security

Blue – Available WaterYellow – No Surplus waterOrange – Over licencedRed – Over abstracted

Blue – Available WaterYellow – No Surplus waterOrange – Over licencedRed – Over abstracted

Yorkshire Perspective

Liebig Law of the Minimum

Growth is controlled not by the total amount of resources available, but by the scarcest resource...

WATER ?

Yorkshire Major Arable Cropping(Askham Bryan Farm Business Survey 2009 / 2010)

Crops Hectares % of England

Cereal crops 369,439 14.2

Other arable crops 122,985 10.8

Potatoes 17,110 15.9

Horticulture 16,660 10.9

Energy Production Per Ha (Yorkshire)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Low high Premuim Low high Premium

Yield level T/hectare Energy/hectare MJ/kgx 10³

W barley 85% DM

W wheat 86% DM

OSR 92% DM

Potatoes 21% DM

Current Potato Water Situation• UK planted area 2011 – 126,328 Ha

• Yorkshire & Humber – 14,298 Ha (11.3% of total)

• UK production maintained around 6M tonnes since 1960 despite a 56% reduction in planted area.

• Therefore increase in yield through: crop protection, fertiliser, varieties and IRRIGATION.

• 70 million m3 of water used for irrigating UK crops in 2010 – 54% of this (37.8 million m3) used on potatoes (DEFRA Survey 2010)

• To maintain yields over next 20 years, irrigation requirement needs to increase by 14 – 30% (Cranfield)

England & Wales Land Suitability(Changes In Land Suitability for Rainfed Potato Production

Cranfield Univ

Current State of Play - Water

• Natural rainfall plus river abstractions plus groundwater abstractions

• Potatoes need 20 – 25mm per week June / July in average season

• Natural rainfall variable

• River abstractions licensing reduced due to increased urban demand

• Groundwater abstractions reduced due to drop in groundwater levels

<< OPTIONS FOR SECURING WATER FOR AGRICULTURE >>

1 On farm winter abstraction and storage reservoir subject to soil type and / or lining

Advantages:• Able to be in control on one site• Capital costs rest with water user• May have amenity value• Transferable value if holding traded• Economies of scale achieved with grower group type

construction – more irrigated land availability

Disadvantages:

• Need for planning permission and reservoir regulations for larger projects

• Not always close for suitable winter abstraction site

• Cost - £1.00 - £1.30 m3 for clay lined reservoir, £2.00 - £4.00m3 for butyl plastic lined reservoir

2. Upstream Water Abstraction Storage Reservoir

Advantages:

• Ability to use natural channel for water

• Meter in / meter out

• Able to site reservoir in less productive agricultural land

• Ability to generate revenue stream from water trading

Disadvantages

• Separate ownership from water users therefore need for secure contracts

• Restricted by natural features

• Higher capital costs, large scale, suitable project for co-operative funding

• New idea – how will EA react?

• Planning permission and N.I.M.B.Y.s

• Ability to supply non agricultural water market (good or bad thing)!

3. Trans catchment transfer plans eg Kielder Water

• North Tyne → River Wear → River Tees

• Only needs small extension from river Tees to river Wiske at Great Smeaton (approx 2 miles) to access large supply of water, available throughout much of Yorkshire

Advantages:

• North-East in surplus for water

• Most infrastructure already in place, Kielder Water set up to supply Teeside heavy industry but now not required

• Create a precedent for water export and trading

• Increase security of supply for urban and agricultural needs

Disadvantages

• Northumbrian Water now owned by Chinese company

• Yorkshire Water privately owned

• Capital and running costs of infrastructure

• Wrong type of water for Natural England may effect local eco-systems

4. Aquifer replenishment near source of use, reverse feed down bore holes in winter

period to raise ground water levels

Advantages:

• No storage construction needed

• Relatively low infrastructure costs

• Some low pressure pumping may be required

Disadvantages:

• Need to be over very permeable aquifer eg sandstone in South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire

• Automatic control may be needed to prevent excess water inputs

• New concept not tried much in practice yet

• Pollution risk due to volume of drinking water drawn from groundwater

5. Creative Reservoirs

• Carry out geological survey of underground rock strata

• Locate upland disused quarry of adequate depth

• Construct overspill from nearby water course to take excess winter flow into quarry / reservoir (may also act as flood control measure – protecting areas downstream)

• Use rock strata as a conduit from uplands to arable cropping areas

Questions Raised

• Who will benefit?• Who will fund solutions?• Funding available from Pillar 2 CAP funding

• Stewardship for water?• RDPE?• Flood Mitigation- funding? Would benefit wide area

• When?• Time to complete?• Timeline?• Deadline?

Summary- Potatoes

• Potatoes may move North, pulled by land availability and pushed by water shortages further South

• Extra 14-30% water required to maintain current production (plus additional demand in future)- could be made available in Yorkshire subject to adequate measures taken

• Better education to general public (possibly through retailers) could reduce water demand for potatoes (Scab etc), link into reducing overall food waste (Foresight)

Issues• Plenty of info and sources

• None taking a lead and driving solutions

• Looking for long –term, multi-generational solution

• Same mindset as Foresight Report

• Lack of appetite from government/agencies to commit to such long term projects?

• Get ahead and act now or play catch-up later?