'Moderate' spray irrigation prospects for East Anglia

The ‘moderate’ designation summarises the Agency’s analysis that:

“Water levels are low. Some controls on surface water abstraction are possible by mid-summer if the weather is hot and dry. Controls on abstraction from groundwater are possible in small, sensitive groundwater areas.”

Following the worryingly dry autumn, conditions have returned to normal in most of East Anglia following recent rainfall, although some southern parts of the region still have below average river flows and groundwater levels.  

In response to broadly average rainfall during February most river flows are classified as normal or above although some groundwater dominated sections in the south of the area are still below normal.   

More detailed information can be found in the Environment Agency Monthly Water Situation Report here.

The Agency is predicting that local water management actions could be needed in some Fenland catchments during the irrigation season. 

It is also closely monitoring groundwater conditions in Suffolk and Essex where rainfall over the next few months may not be sufficient to fully recover aquifers to normal summer levels.

In particular the confined chalk of Essex and Suffolk may remain below normal as we head into the summer.

There remains a small possibility that informal limited demand reduction measures may be required should summer 2018 be hot and particularly dry.