Water Resources East and Anglian Water have joined forces with Norfolk County Council and The Nature Conservancy to develop a county-wide sustainable water management plan for Norfolk.
The plan aims to secure access to good quality, long-term water resources for all water users while delivering environmental improvement at scale. The intention is to showcase the county as an international exemplar for collaborative and integrated water management.
WRE explained that the Eastern region, and specifically Norfolk, is experiencing growing pressures on water resources, with residents and businesses already experiencing the effects of a changing climate that are increasing flooding incidents and potential water shortages.
The development of the plan and associated governance arrangements, initially funded for two years, will entail working with a variety of organisations to test and implement a number of nature-based solutions (NBS) to manage water in the county. This could include the creation of wetlands, woodlands and storage reservoirs to capture and slow the flow of flood waters and use this water to provide additional water supply in summer.
Various types of NBS will be amalgamated into “an investable, long-term, proposition for private and public financing through the creation of a governance structure referred to as a Water Fund”. Water Funds are a well-established model for facilitating collective action to address water security challenges through a mix of nature-based solutions, alongside water demand management and more traditional infrastructure, such as pipelines and treatment plants. Norfolk is the first of two European pilot Water Funds initiatives supported by global environmental nonprofit The Nature Conservancy, adding to its global portfolio of more than 40 Water Funds.
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