- An initiative that could see innovative nature-based water storage on farmland in Cornwall and Devon help alleviate drought affected water supplies and associated river health pressure is among 16 winners awarded a portion of the £40 million made available in Ofwat’s latest innovation competition, Water Breakthrough Challenge 3.
- Sitting within Ofwat’s £200 million Innovation Fund, the competition invited solutions with potential to deliver wide-scale, transformational change benefitting customers, society, and the environment.
AN INITIATIVE to support farmers in Cornwall and Devon to bolster drought affected water supplies and ease associated river health pressure has today received £1 million in funding from Ofwat’s Innovation Fund.
The Water Net Gain (WNG) project is one of 16 solutions being awarded a share of £40 million today in the water regulator’s latest innovation competition – the Water Breakthrough Challenge.
Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) and South West Water(SWW), in partnership with the Environment Agency, Saputo Dairy UK and Duchy College will engage farmers, initially in the Tamar and Fowey catchments, in research to determine how a catchment-scale approach to pay them to store water on their land could improve water resilience for them, wider society and rivers.
CEO at WRT Dr Laurence Couldrick said: “Having first-hand experience of drought and water use restrictions in our region in the last year, and with more water resource deficits predicted by 2050, we will be exploring the potential with the farming community for new ponds and lakes to create water storage ‘batteries’.
“These ecologically connected and distributive ‘smart ponds’ would enhance water retention on land, charging during the winter, and enabling farmers during times of summer drought to either use the water for on-farm needs, thereby alleviating demand on the mains supply, or to sell to recharge our rivers via water companies adding to the water supply grid.”
Providing freshwater to rivers during droughts has many benefits such as weakening pollution build-up not managed through current agricultural water quality incentivisation schemes, while nature-based water retention solutions such as healthy soils, woodlands and wetlands can improve flood protection and aquatic biodiversity.
The Water Breakthrough Challenge encourages initiatives that help to tackle the biggest challenges facing the water sector, such as achieving net zero, protecting natural ecosystems and reducing leakage, as well as delivering value to society.
Carolyn Cadman, Director of Natural Resources at SWW, said: “This exciting project will embed new ways of thinking, valuing and storing water across the South West.
“The project will explore innovative ways of improving resilience to climate change, which we expect will bring more intense rain and more periods of drought.
“Working in partnership, we will test ways in which farmers can capture and store that intense rainfall on their land, either to use themselves or by selling it onto others.”
The Challenge is part of a series of competitions from Ofwat, run by Challenge Works with Arup and Isle Utilities, designed to drive innovation and collaboration in the sector to benefit individuals, society and the environment.
David Black, CEO at Ofwat said: “The water sector has faced mounting pressure over systemic challenges related to the environment and society, while the climate around us continues to drastically change shape.
“That’s why we’re funding ground-breaking innovations with potential to help us save and reuse water and wastewater products, while supporting wider society.”
More information about the winners of the Water Breakthrough Challenge can be found here: https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/winners/
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About Ofwat’s Innovation Fund
Ofwat has established a £200 million Innovation Fund to grow the water sector’s capacity to innovate, enabling it to better meet the evolving needs of customers, society and the environment. It is encouraging new ways of working that go beyond business-as-usual innovation practices in the water industry, in particular, increasing and improving collaboration and building partnerships from within and outside the water sector.
The Innovation in Water Challenge, Water Breakthrough Challenge 1, Water Breakthrough Challenge 2 and Water Breakthrough Challenge 3, and Water Discovery Challenge were delivered by challenge prize experts Challenge Works in partnership with Arup and Isle Utilities. Following the first two of these (the pilot competitions), Ofwat received 40 submissions in response to its consultation about the future direction of the Fund. In July 2022 Ofwat set out its headline decisions on the approach we will take for the Innovation Fund for 2022-25. Alongside opening Water Breakthrough Challenge 3, Ofwat has published ‘Innovation fund – approach for 2022-25 companion decision document’, which sets out further information on the headline decisions.
Ofwat consulted on its proposal to extend the Innovation Fund beyond 2025 in ‘Creating tomorrow, together: consulting on our methodology for PR24’ and will now consider extending the Fund. Details will be decided later in 2023.
The Innovation Fund forms part of Ofwat’s approach to innovation in the water sector. Ofwat with the Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate also runs StreamLine, a joint service for innovators and businesses to get informal regulatory advice.
About Challenge Works
Challenge Works is a global leader in the design and delivery of high-impact challenge prizes that incentivise cutting-edge innovation for social good. In the last 10 years, we have run more than 80 prizes, distributed £84 million in funding and engaged with 12,000 innovators.
Challenge prizes champion open innovation through competition. We specify a problem that needs solving, but not what the solution should be. We offer large cash incentives to encourage diverse innovators to apply their ingenuity to solving the problem. The most promising solutions are rewarded with seed funding and expert capacity building support, so that they can prove their impact and effectiveness. The first or best innovation to solve the problem wins. This approach levels the playing field for unknown and previously untested innovators so that the best ideas, no matter their origin, are brought to bear on the most difficult of global challenges. Visit us at challengeworks.org
About Arup
Arup is global collective of designers, engineering and sustainability consultants, advisors and experts dedicated to sustainable development, and to using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world. is an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialists, working across every aspect of today’s built environment. Together we help our clients solve their most complex challenges – turning exciting ideas into tangible reality as we strive to find a better way and shape a better world. With a community of over 1700 water professionals, Arup is leading global thinking across key areas like innovation, resilience, net zero carbon and sustainable water management.
About Isle Utilities
Isle is a global team of independent scientists, engineers, business and regulatory experts with a common drive to make a positive environmental, social and economic impact through the advancement of innovative technologies, solutions and practices.