SES Water has relaunched its Catchment Fund to support local farmers and landowners to improve soil health, protect groundwater and surface water, and build farm resilience, to help improve local water quality.
Pollution from agricultural pesticides and fertilisers can be a significant challenge for water companies and preventing them at the source offers a more sustainable and cost-effective approach to tackling water quality issues.
This initiative will help improve water quality as well as benefitting farmers, the environment and the local community.
Building soil health to reduce nitrate leaching and improve drought-resilience
Last year, SES Water supported a local farm with funding for a bladed aerator to help address historic soil compaction and improve long-term soil health.
Alongside the spiked roller, funding was also provided for a subscription to a soil tracking app and soil health testing to monitor improvements over time.
Improving the farm's resilience to increasingly dry summers was one of the farm’s key aims, and after an exceptionally dry summer the Catchment Fund is proving a valuable opportunity for SES Water to continue its support of drought-resistant projects.
By relieving soil compaction, the aeration roller encourages deeper root growth, creating healthier, more resilient soil that can store more water during dry periods, while improving infiltration during heavy rainfall.
Improving soil structure can also help protect groundwater from nitrate pollution. Healthier soils and deeper roots can help crops take up nitrogen more effectively, reducing the amount of nitrate left in the soil to leach into groundwater. Better infiltration can also reduce surface runoff, allowing more rainfall to enter the soil rather than flow across the land.
The farmer has already reported seeing roots growing into the fractures created by the roller, suggesting improved rooting depth and soil structure. They've also found an unexpected practical benefit – electric fence posts are now much easier to push into previously compacted ground.
The farmer who received this grant said:
“I knew I needed to do something about the compaction on our farm. Many companies will sell you things that claim will do this and hopefully the proof of this machine will show its worth. This grant gave me the opportunity to give this machine a fair trial without over stretching the farm’s finances.”
Supporting farmers to improve river health and biodiversity
Last year SES Water also funded a River Condition Assessment on a 2.2 km stretch of the River Eden between two neighbouring farms. The project, delivered by Surrey Wildlife Trust, assessed the current condition of the river and identified practical opportunities to improve water quality and enhance biodiversity.
The assessment highlighted opportunities to reduce nutrient, sediment and pesticide run-off from reaching the river by using wider riverside buffer strips, tree planting, invasive species management and the creation of wetland features, including ponds.
These interventions can help intercept pollutants before they reach the river, reduce bank erosion, increase natural water storage and improve resilience to both drought and heavy rainfall. The assessment also explored the potential for Biodiversity Net Gain funding to deliver and maintain the identified river restoration measures, securing long-term benefits for water quality, biodiversity and farm resilience.
The farmer involved in this project said:
“The direct funding made a significant impact on our ability to progress with the River Condition Assessment in a timely fashion and in the meantime has given rise to more ambitious internal evaluations about what additional measures we can introduce to improve adjacent watercourses going forward.”
Dr Ria Woodfield, Catchment Manager at SES Water, said:
“Protecting our water starts in the catchment. Through our Catchment Fund, we’re working alongside local farmers and landowners to support practical solutions and training that aim to protect water quality at source, while delivering wider benefits for nature, farming and our local communities.”
The Catchment Fund is available in priority catchments that help protect water quality at source. For more information and to see if your farm is eligible, visit our Catchment fund webpage.