Water resources in the East of England are under ever-increasing pressure due to the combined effects of population growth, the upward demand for irrigated crops and climate change.

This is particularly pronounced on the Felixstowe Peninsula where the Environment Agency has calculated that, even during the winter when river flows are at their highest, there is no additional water available for abstraction. Farmers estimate that they already need a further 1million cubic meters to meet current irrigation demand and Anglian Water calculates that unless they bring additional water into the area they will have a shortfall in supply within 20 years. Unfortunately, any further abstraction could risk damaging the precious wetland habitats and rivers of the Peninsula.

In 2018, to help address this deficit, 5 local farmers got together to form Felixstowe Hydrocycle. With the support of The Environment Agency, Suffolk County Council, East Suffolk Internal Drainage Board and The University of East Anglia, the company secured a €969k grant from the European Union to part fund the construction of a pipeline and water management infrastructure to bring drainage water (which is currently pumped to sea) inland for irrigation and potentially for public water supply. The project builds on 5 years’ of research and development carried out by the Suffolk Holistic Water Management project.