We believe the best way to secure a safe, resilient and sustainable future for your water supply is through active collaboration with the farmers and landowners who manage the land surrounding our water sources.
Our Catchment Management Programme is designed to work in partnership with the agricultural community, golf courses, vineyards and livestock farms to enhance water quality, promote biodiversity, and increase local resilience. This shared approach delivers benefits for both the environment and your business operations.
Working together on catchment management
We recognise the vital role farmers and landowners play as stewards of the environment. Our team provides dedicated, on-the-ground support to implement sustainable land management practices that protect and improve the raw water quality in our catchments.
Our focus areas for collaboration include:
- Reducing Diffuse Pollution: Working together to minimise soil erosion, nutrient runoff, and pesticide leaching into watercourses.
- Improving Soil Health: Promoting farming methods that increase organic matter and help reduce invasive species, leading to better water infiltration, reduced flood risk, improved drought resilience, and stronger crop resilience.
- Protecting Biodiversity: Encouraging habitat creation and restoration to support local ecosystems, which naturally helps filter water.
Investing in water efficiency and resilience
Optimising water usage and developing local resilience measures are critical to the future of farming and rural land management. We provide support, advice, and financial incentives to help farmers and landowners implement solutions that reduce reliance on mains water and lower operational costs.
Support services and key initiatives
We offer tailored guidance to help you adopt water-smart solutions:
- Rainwater Harvesting Systems: Assistance with planning and funding the installation of rainwater capture systems for non-potable uses like wash-down or irrigation.
- Irrigation Optimisation: Technical advice on best-practice irrigation scheduling and technology to ensure water is used only when and where it is needed most.
- Smart Metering: Aiding leak detection around landholdings in a yard, buildings and across to field troughs, to further understand how much water is being used and where.
- Bespoke Water Audits: Detailed assessments to identify and address leaks and areas of inefficiency across your farm or landholding.
Unlock funding: our Capital Grants Scheme
To help you turn sustainable plans into action, our Capital Grants Scheme offers financial assistance for farm infrastructure and environmental improvements. This scheme is specifically designed to support capital investments in water quality improvements, water efficiency, and soil health.
We encourage all eligible farmers and landowners within our priority catchments to explore how this scheme can help fund your next sustainability project.
How to get involved
If you farm within one of our priority areas you could qualify for the following:
- Free one to one confidential on farm advice
- Free report with recommendations tailored towards your farm business
- Free workshops and events providing up to date guidance and advice
- Soil and nutrient planning (including free standard soil sampling)
- Calibration of fertiliser applicators, slug pelletors and sprayers
To register for a free farm visit, email catchment@southeastwater.co.uk(opens in a new tab)