South Level Water Project
A technical study about water levels in the Fens has been conducted by Stantec, titled "Water for Cambridge: South Level Internal Drainage Board (IDB) Study – Catchment Conceptualisation and Water Balance Assessment." This study was commissioned by the Cambridge Water Scarcity Group to evaluate whether excess water managed by drainage systems can be safely utilized to address the region's acute water shortages.
The main objectives and findings of the study focus on three central purposes:
Evaluating Water Availability: The core goal was to model, monitor, and assess the catchment's water balance. The study determined that there is a considerable amount of water available within the South Level Internal Drainage Board network that currently drains away.
Relieving Water Scarcity in Cambridge: Rapid growth and climate change have severely strained the region's water supply. The study explores how capturing this surplus South Level water can provide significant regional supply benefits, specifically to support the Cambridge area.
Protecting Environmentally Sensitive Habitats: By finding alternative surface water resources, the project aims to help local providers - like Cambridge Water and Anglian Water - reduce their reliance on unsustainable groundwater abstraction from environmentally sensitive underground aquifers and chalk streams.
The various reports can now be viewed in the library section of the WRE website:
You can also read the Eastern Powerhouse report on Agricultural Reservoirs.
Comments