Affinity and Cambridge to extend their nitrate curbing venture after success

Affinity Water and Cambridge Water have announced they plan to extend their use of EnTrade services to work with farmers to reduce nitrate release into drinking water supplies in 2020-21.

The two water firms teamed up with EnTrade in 2019-20 and worked with 11 farms in North Hertfordshire and South Cambridgeshire to fund the capture of 24 tonnes of nitrate from 488 hectares of land. Building on the success of this scheme, the water companies now plan to collect 50% more nitrate in the 2020/21 growing season, working with 63% more farms. This year, they will work with 18 farms on funding cover crops across 800 hectares.

The aim is to capture 37.4 tonnes of nitrate which could otherwise leach into the chalk aquifers that are used to supply drinking water.