Catchment management

We're working with farmers and landowners to stop soil, fertiliser and pesticides washing from fields into rivers and groundwater.

This is because removing these substances at the water treatment works is expensive, so prevention is best. Farmers and landowners also benefit by losing less of these substances to waste – saving money and time.

There are simple things farmers and landowners can do to minimise wash off into rivers. Just calibrating machines correctly, for example, or collecting rainwater, can make a big difference.

We can help with these practical solutions. We offer a free farm visit from an independent specialist advisor who can look for solutions and farmers may be eligible for a grant.

Catchment Scientist Matthew Lander explains the link between land management and protecting raw water quality.

The summers of 2022 and 2023 saw some of the hottest, driest weather on record, as well as record-breaking demand for tap water.

We've been working with farmers and growers in priority areas to part-fund rainwater harvesting systems and provide expert advice on how to use water wisely on the farm.

As well as easing pressure on our tap water network, this provides resilience for farmers so they can store up water during rainy months, ready for when their crops and animals need it most. It also helps prevent soil, nutrients and other chemicals being washed into local rivers during periods of heavy rain.

With climate change predicted to bring more extreme weather conditions to the UK in future, now is the time to build more resilience into local water sources and farms.

With costs on the rise, thinking about changing the way you use water on your farm could bring significant cost savings too.

Below, farmer Michael Richards speaks about the benefits he's seen from the rainwater harvesting system we part-funded on his East Sussex farm.

From time to time, we run events and workshops with our farming community on a range of topics - from precision farming to rainwater harvesting, cover crops to sustainable maize management.

Find out about our previous farming events and workshops.

Visit our Eventbrite farm events hub to find out about any future events.