Taking a holistic approach to water management
Water management in the UK has typically focused on flood prevention, whether that is through engineered or nature-based solutions
However, the growing need for drought resilience demands a new approach that considers broader water needs at a catchment scale. ADAS Sustainable Agricultural Systems Managing Director Lucy Wilson explains.
First published in The UK Water Report, October 2025
In recent years, the UK has seen weather records shattered. Beyond having the driest spring on record after months of wet weather, we have also seen simultaneous flood warnings for the south and declarations of drought in the north. Scientists predict that climate change will increase the frequency of these extremes.
To tackle these challenges, we need to move away from the traditional thinking of single interventions. Instead, let’s start considering water management in its entirety across a whole, factoring in all the activities and land uses that affect water quality and quantity within the natural boundaries of a river catchment.
Taking a more holistic approach will encourage collaboration among various stakeholders, including local authorities, water companies, NGOs, and communities, to develop solutions that address issues like flooding and drought.
The need for effective stakeholder collaboration
Effectively managing a water catchment requires a collaborative approach between local government, water companies, farmers, landowners, community groups, residents, and others within the catchment area.
In 2013, Defra introduced a framework to create catchment-based approach partnerships. However, these lack any statutory powers, and individual stakeholders will generally focus on the issue that is most pressing for them. This can lead to conflicts, making it hard to enforce or coordinate actions.
Interventions that work for both drought and flood management
Changing the approach requires system-level thinking of how water travels, is collected, stored, and lost throughout a catchment area. With this approach, we can identify where risks and opportunities overlap and put in place interventions that offer value for all stakeholders.
These interventions could include land use changes on hill slopes to hold water and slow down flow, protecting against run-off and holding water. Reintroducing beavers to create natural reservoirs that protect floodplains but also hold water that can be used in a drought.
Decision support tools
Our recent work developing a decision support tool for land use change indicated that wood pasture, with a mix of trees and grassland, can reduce the severity of flooding without exacerbating drought. This type of land is also good for grazing animals, so it is a promising option when working with local farmers to utilise their land in a way that is beneficial for both water management and food production.
New digital tools that model water across catchments can help decision makers compare interventions based on economic cost-benefits and can be very helpful in explaining to stakeholders how actions will affect them.
Developers are integrating machine learning and AI into tools that monitor flood and drought risks, track river flow in real time, and model how different interventions will perform under varying rainfall conditions.
Funding innovation
Funding for these large, catchment-level approaches will need an innovative approach. There is scope for more nature-based solutions in water management, particularly for wetland creation. These boost nature recovery and biodiversity, and could bring in additional funding through biodiversity credits, for example. This lowers the burden on traditional funding sources such as Government funding or funding from water companies.
There is precedent for how a catchment-based approach can work well. An example would be The Severn Valley Water Management Scheme, a project to reduce flood risk in the upper Severn through innovative and nature-positive interventions, specifically to counter flooding and drought risk in tandem.
Now that changes to Ofwat and other water regulators have been announced, we need to take this opportunity to embed both drought and flooding resilience in the future of our water management. The key is to manage water as a valuable resource across the entire catchment.