Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

The Historic and Built Environment
22 The Regional Environment Strategy for The East of England
4 NATURAL RESOURCES
The natural resources of the East of England
comprise its water, air, and land. These are essential
not only for the functioning of society, but also for
maintaining the health of the wider environment,
such as its biodiversity.
4.1 WATER
Introduction
Water is essential for the natural environment and
fundamental to the social and economic viability
of the region. It is therefore vital to ensure the
sustainable use of this finite and precious resource.
Water in the sea, rivers, and wetlands supports plant
and animal life and plays a major role in defining
the character of the region’s landscape. Wetlands
hold significant importance as they contain unique
archaeological deposits. The water environment
provides for many forms of recreation that contribute
to quality of life, such as angling, watersports,
boating and sailing, and tourism on the coast.
It is important to identify how much water is
required to protect environmental assets whilst
ensuring that the region meets public supply needs
and continues to thrive as a competitive economy.
As the driest region in the country, supporting one
of the fastest growing populations, with large areas
of flat, low-lying land at risk of flooding, the region
is presented with a number of key sustainability
issues relating to water.
Key Resources
• Groundwater – An important resource for
direct abstraction for local use by farmers and
industry, as well as for public supply, and for
supporting springs, wetlands and providing
baseflow to rivers.
Natural Resources
The Environment Agency works to establish the
correct balance between abstraction and the
water environment. The 1990s droughts were
the worst experienced and put this ‘balance’ to
the test that resulted in pressure on Fowlmere
Watercress Beds SSSI in Cambridgeshire. The
Environment Agency pumped water to maintain
levels and this was successful in safeguarding the
habitat. Cambridge Water Company is investigating
the impact of their borehole abstractions
and the options to protect the site.
The Environment Agency is also planning to
review the water balance calculations.
© English Nature/Peter Wakely
• Reservoirs – The region contains several large
public supply reservoirs and there are also many
smaller farm storage reservoirs throughout the
region that can be refilled during the winter
months to provide secure summer irrigation
water supplies.
The Regional Environment Strategy for The East of England
23