Open Competition - Nature Based Solutions in the Wensum and the Bure

The Environment Agency (EA) wish to support the creation of a national evidence base for chalk catchments, for use in Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) and other water resource considerations. The EA and Water Resources East (WRE) also wish to explore whether Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can be used to increase water availability, to improve groundwater recharge and support low flows in rivers. Modelling and mapping have already taken place in the chalk river catchments of the Test, Cam, Wensum, and Bure to identify the types of locations which best enable recharge. More specifically in the Wensum, modelling showed that interventions such as soil improvements and run-off attenuation features at scale could improve low flows from 5% - 15% in the catchment. A project is now being developed to evaluate these outputs in the Wensum catchment, via a comprehensive monitoring programme, which may run for several years. The outputs from this work will help the Environment Agency and Water Resource East to deliver other pieces of work, which include: Plan, projects, and strategies • Linking to the WRE's Norfolk Water Strategy Programme on nature-based solutions, which is a collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, the Norfolk councils, and Anglian Water, • Aligning to the objectives of the Defra 25 Year Environment Plan - Primarily 'Clean and plentiful water' and mitigation of the impacts of climate change, 'Thriving plants and wildlife' and 'Reducing risks of harm from environmental hazards' (floods and drought), • Catchment licensing strategies by 2027 and Commitments in River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) to support implementation of the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017, • Contributing towards catchment measures as part of the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), • Evidence to support the new Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), • Evidence to support the production of Local Nature Recovery Strategies, • Support the National FCRM Strategy. • Contributing towards achievement of the CaBA Chalk Stream Strategy, and the Environment Agency's chalk streams programme.

Environmental outcomes • Providing groundwater that is more resilient to the impacts of climate change, droughts and mitigating the impacts of abstraction, • Assess water quality benefits including increased baseflow values (valuable from a water quality discharge perspective) and reduced sediment deposition, • Potential biodiversity benefits arising from the temporary storage of water in the landscape.

The EA/WRE wish to commission the following pieces of work. The EA and WRE are also happy with the use of sub-contractors to support this work as this project does include a wide skillset and background knowledge. We are currently programming this work to complete in March 2026 but are actively searching for additional funds to continue through to March 2028