ESRT contribute to National Water Net Gain scoping study

Water Net Gain (WNG) is an OFWAT funded project investigating new ways farmers can increase water resilience, bolster drought affected water supplies and ease associated river health pressures through on-farm water storage ponds. Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust delivered a target catchment study of the River Colne in Essex, conducting 14 in-person farm visits across a representative range of farm business. The farmer survey was conducted between September 2025 and January 2026 to understand farms’ water resilience challenges and opportunities, and to assess farmers’ attitudes toward participating in a Water Net Gain scheme.

Water availability represents a serious concern for farmers, though it ranks below price volatility, weather extremes, and funding uncertainty as primary business challenges in the Colne catchment and 86% of respondents had experienced water shortages in the past 10 years, with economic impacts including reduced crop yields, abandoned plantings, and restricted irrigation. 57% of farms in the catchment felt their business was already constrained by water availability, and a further 36% feared that it would be in the future.

Farm type influences both the severity of water constraints and perceived priority of water resource challenges for the farm business. Arable farmers experience more acute current constraints and greater economic impacts from water shortages, while livestock and mixed farming enterprises express greater concern about future availability. Water source diversity also varies by sector: Arable operations rely more heavily on surface water and groundwater abstraction to meet large seasonal demands although some were already reliant on mains supply, while livestock farmers predominantly use mains water for drinking water requirements. Approximately 36% of respondents lack alternative water sources, indicating vulnerability to supply disruptions and this limited resilience is compounded by poor water consumption monitoring: nearly a third of farms in the catchment could not accurately quantify their water use, presenting substantial challenges for water resource planning and scheme design.

Farms in the Colne catchment are already using many beneficial strategies to slow flows and improve water quality including cover cropping, tree and hedge planting, buffer strips and reduced/minimum tillage; and 93% of farms surveyed had already created or considered creating ponds primarily for biodiversity benefit. The Water Net Gain farm survey included example scheme scenarios, and nearly 80% of Colne farmers surveyed expressed potential interest in adopting one or more of these if funding were to become available. This valuable insight into water use, resilience and catchment-scale opportunities will now be used in conjunction with Water Companies and policy advisors at both local and national levels.

Read the full report: T4.1-Willingness-to-Accept-study-Report.pdf

Visit the Water Net Gain website: Water Net Gain - Westcountry Rivers Trust