Ralph Ledbetter
Source: #showyourstripes
Spring 2026
Source: Met Office press release
Spring 2026
Source: Environment Agency Water Situation Report – Devon and Cornwall April 2026
Who are WCWE ?
• We are a collaboration of water companies, regulators and stakeholders who share a mission to achieve a coordinated approach to water resources planning in the West Country of England.
• We are one of five regional collectives in England and Wales created by the government under the National Framework for Water Resources and tasked to create a regional water resources plan that looks ahead to 2050 and beyond.
Core members
: Environment Agency Wessex Water Pennon group
Overview of West Country Water and Environment Group – Other Parties
1. Advisory Group (non-exhaustive list)
2. Multi-Sector Group
• Agri-food
• Energy
• Environment
• Landowner and Riparian
• Mining, Mineral extraction and exploration
• Tourism, Recreation and Leisure
Background to Regional Planning
First National Framework for Water Resources - 2020
The foundations for our next Regional Plan
National Framework for Water Resources 2025
• Sets out the pressures and challenges for the water environment to 2055 and beyond.
• Sets the ambition for a sustainable abstraction regime and a protected and improved water environment.
• Explores potential new demands for water.
• Sets greater ambition for integrated, joinedup planning between water using sectors and with drainage and wastewater planning.
• Proposes actions and expectations for different sectors to rise to the challenge of planning for and improving water supply resilience.
• Provides a steer for regional water resources groups to evolve and to continue to innovate.
Multi-Sector Planning – Expectations
• Including forecasts of water demand for relevant non-public water supply sectors
• Facilitating and proposing options and solutions for multiple sectors to meet their water needs and improve resilience
• Identifying where sectors can work together to resolve issues and co-ordinate local water resources activity across sectors where there is a risk of duplication
• Promoting the establishment and work of WaterAbstractor Groups and Catchment Partnerships to represent local abstractor needs
Protect and improve the environment and an integrated approach to water management
Initial steps to WCWE Regional Plan 2
Public Water Supply
• Regional water resources model development
• Supply options
• Overall program development
Multi-Sector
• Engagement with our MSG
• Support to develop demand forecasts
Catchment Focus
• Nature based solutions
• Identifying focus catchments
• Local Resource Options (LROs)
• Exploring use of EA SACO tool RP2
Sustainable Abstraction
• Catchment investigations
How to get involved?
• Join our multisector group
• Talk to us about non-public water supply abstractors in your catchment
• Explore ways we could collaborate to support abstractors and the environment
• Get updates at key points in the regional planning process
Let us know if you'd like to get involved at: https://www.westcountrywaterandenvironment.org/contact-us
Follow us on linked in: West Country Water and Environment: Posts | LinkedIn
Slides not to be presented but for dissemination afterwards if of interest
Multisector Stakeholder Group
Multisector Stakeholder Group
WHAT?
WHY?
• An inclusive group which brings together representatives from various sectors across the West Country to share views, knowledge, and sector specific insight on water resource management in a collaborative forum
HOW?
• A multisector approach will improve water resources resilience of relevant regional sectors and promote sustainable management of water resources
• To support sectors across the region to participate in the regional water resource planning process and explore potential solutions
• Building relationships
• Facilitating conversation and discussion and empowering sectors to take the lead
• Water needs/use evidence gathering
• Sector-by-sector working groups
Multisector Stakeholder Group
Initial engagement has been focussing on the following key sectors:
• Agriculture
WHO?
• Energy
• Environment
• Range of sectors and representatives
• Landowner, Riparian and fisheries
• Mining, Mineral extraction and Exploration
• Tourism, Recreation and Leisure
• Growing membership through targeted outreach, as well as organically
• We continue to focus on increasing representation from
o Landowners & Riparian Interests
o Tourism, Recreation & Leisure
Discussion so far
The group has talked about:
• Views and experiences related to water resources management
• Water needs and uses of different sectors–locations, volumes, timing, consumptive use, etc
• Demand reduction, efficiency practices and opportunities
• Impacts of water shortage on need/use
• Water quality considerations
Case study - Agricultural Engagement
WAGs Online Event: 15 April 2026
• WCWE hosted a webinar for agricultural water abstractors and membership bodies in the south west, promoting the concept of WAGs.
• The webinar explored the issues water users are facing and will face in the future
• Guest speaker Steve Moncaster from the Norfolk Environment Food & Farming (NEFF) shared his experience of WAGs in Norfolk
• Provided an opportunity for discussion around concerns, issues, barriers and opportunities related to water resources for the agricultural sector
• Explored interest in WAGs amongst stakeholders
• Smaller but engaged groups ~ 13 attended / ~22 sign ups
• NFU
• CLA
• Dairy Farmer
• Veg growers
• Mixed farming and fruit pomace
• Farming partnership
• FWAG SW / Catchment partnership coordinator
WAGs Online Event: 15 April 2026
• Ran through the WAG Test from UKIA – all who responded scored above 4
• Majority of those on the call felt that water would be more scarce in the future
• Attendees felt that a lot of people in the sector are not aware that water resources will be more limited in the future
• There was some interest WAGs and how they may be able to form in the region – A Catchment Partnership and membership body were keen to take this away and explore next steps together
• We’ll share a summary and follow up with interested stakeholders and discuss next steps
Local Resource Option Pilot Study
LRO Screening Studies: River Otter Case Study
Farms involved
• 4 farms (3 Dairy & 1 Horticulture)
• Water used for livestock drinking water, and washing down as well as irrigation - using a mix of mains and abstracted water
Recommended Options across all farms
• Agroecological practices to improve soil water retention
• Rainwater harvesting (can meet >20% annual demand per farm)
• Water recycling (up to 25% demand reduction)
• Water sharing for pooling existing headroom and improved resilience
• Next Steps
• Tailored solutions for each farm to be considered
• WCWE are working with stakeholders such as WRT to see how the work could be progressed
Carried out by Ricardo
LRO Case
Discrete Project
Agriculture Demand Forecasting Workshop
• WCWE hosted the Agriculture Demand Forecasting workshop 18/05/26, working alongside Arup and Jerry Knox (Professor, Cranfield University).
• Stakeholders from across different sub-sectors
• The workshop discussion focussed on 3 main questions:
• How would you describe your current access to water?
• How do you think your water demand will change in the future?
• How have recent droughts impacted your sub-sector?
• Feedback from the workshop is in the early stages of being processed and will be used to inform a draft methodology to be discussed and refined at a future workshop on 12th June.
• Dairy
• Covered Horticulture
• Uncovered Horticulture
• Technology
• CLA
• NFU
• FWAG SW