Developing the South Forty Foot Water Bank - A pilot study

气候变化正在对天气模式产生不利影响，预计将出现更长时间的温暖天气和干旱。一段时间以来，水一直是生产优质沙拉、土豆和其他蔬菜所必需的。气候变化将增加这一需求。非传统灌溉作物也更有可能对灌溉产生经济反应。与此同时，水源正在减少；现正减少或撤销抽取牌照，以保护环境和供公众供水的地下水资源。该项目涉及用于灌溉可耕地作物，特别是高价值马铃薯、沙拉和蔬菜生产的蓄水新方法。它将探索利用适当的技术，在景观尺度上协作储存和使用水。利用原本会被抽到海里的水是可持续的，将其保留在景观中具有潜在的环境效益。如果成功，它将提高我们粮食供应的可持续性和弹性，同时具有环境效益，包括减少温室气体排放。这项试点研究应该会导致一种模板的发展，这种模板可以被复制并应用于英国许多其他低洼地区，这些地区受到抽水排水的影响。

Climate change is having an adverse impact upon weather patterns, with prolonged periods of warmer weather and drought being predicted.Water has been essential for the production of quality salads, potatoes and other vegetables for some time. Climate change will increase that requirement. Non-traditionally irrigated crops are also more likely to have an economic response to irrigation.At the same time, sources of water are reducing; abstraction licences are being reduced or withdrawn to protect both the environment and groundwater sources for public water supply.The project relates to novel methods of storing water for use in the irrigation of arable crops, in particular high value potato, salads and vegetable production.It will explore the collaborative storage and use of water in a landscape scale, utilising appropriate technologies.The utilisation of water that would otherwise be pumped out to sea is sustainable and holding it in the landscape has potential environmental benefits.If successful it would improve sustainability and resilience of our food supply whilst having environmental benefits including the reduction is greenhouse gas emissions.The pilot study should lead to the development of a template which could be copied and utilised in many other low lying areas of Britain that are subject to pumped drainage.