Farm water supplies: Charges, consumption and savings

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Average farm water consumption

Dairy farms use water all year for livestock drinking and parlour cleaning. Arable farms peak in dry summers if they irrigate.

Water consumption varies considerably depending on the type of farming. Arable farms only use water if they irrigate in dry summers. Glasshouse and protected cropping irrigate all year because rainfall never reaches the crop.

Water consumption at livestock farms depends on the type of animal.

Water consumption by farm type

Daily drinking water requirements by type of livestock farming:

Livestock	Drinking water per day
Lactating dairy cow	60 to 100 litres
Other cattle	Around 40 litres
Lactating sow or gilt	15 to 30 litres
Other pigs	Around 10 litres
Sheep	Around 6 litres
Horses	Around 40 litres
Poultry	Around 0.2 litres per bird

Milking parlour washings add 20 to 30 litres per cow per day in a conventional parlour, or 5 to 15 litres in a robotic system.

Source: Environment Agency

Where farms use the most water

The following breaks down the different activities on a typical British farm that consume the most water.

Livestock drinking water

Troughs and automatic drinkers refill throughout the day, and demand rises in hot weather and with milk yield. On a livestock farm, this is the largest single use.

Milking parlour cleaning

Milking plant is cleaned after every milking, so parlour washing is a fixed daily volume set by herd size and milking frequency.

Irrigation

Outdoor cropping may use none in a wet year and a great deal in a dry one. Glasshouse and protected cropping irrigate all year.

Building wash down and yard cleaning

Hose fittings, nozzle choice and cleaning frequency drive the volume used. The resulting wastewater produced determines whether you also pay trade effluent charges.

Agricultural water rates for farms

Business water rates for agricultural businesses consist of two main components: a volumetric charge per cubic metre and a standing charge based on meter size.

Water-intensive farms may pay lower rates per cubic metre due to high-volume wholesale tariffs available in some regions.

Rates also vary by region, so two farms doing identical work in different parts of the country will pay different amounts for the same volume of water.

What a farm water bill includes

A typical farm water bill includes:

Water supply: A volumetric charge per cubic metre plus a standing charge set by meter size.
Foul sewerage: A volumetric charge applied to the share of your supply assumed to return to the sewer, plus a standing charge.
Surface water drainage (in some regions): Charged on chargeable site area, covering rainwater from roofs, yards and hardstanding.
Highway drainage (in some regions): A separate charge covering runoff from public roads.
Trade effluent: Applies where you hold consent to discharge parlour washings, silage effluent or processing water, priced on volume and strength.

Ways to reduce farm water bills

Most agriculture businesses pay their water bills on the regional default business water tariff. Here’s the way these businesses can reduce their water bills:

Surface water drainage rebates: If rainwater from your yard, sheds or roofs drains to land rather than the public sewer, you should not be charged drainage fees on that water. Many farms are billed at full commercial drainage rates for surface water that never enters the sewer. A drainage survey can uncover annual savings and one off refunds backdated up to six years.
Return to sewer allowances: Business water suppliers typically assume 95% of water consumed enters the sewers and charge customers on this basis. Since water used for irrigation or livestock doesn’t reach the sewers, some farms can benefit from applying for a sewerage rebate.
Comparing and switching suppliers: Farms that have never switched water suppliers will most likely be on default rates. Compare business water suppliers to secure a better deal.

Farm water supply options

Farms have several water supply routes. Understanding the cost and suitability of each helps you make the right choice for your operation.

Mains water connection

Mains water is metered, treated to drinking water standards and reliable, which makes it the default for livestock drinking water and anything used in food production. It is also the most expensive per cubic metre for a high volume user. Business water suppliers serving your region can be compared on price and service.

Borehole

A borehole water supply draws groundwater on the holding, replacing your volumetric supply charge with drilling costs, pumping electricity, treatment and testing. Abstracting more than 20 cubic metres a day needs an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency.

Surface water abstraction

Farms with a river, stream, pond or reservoir can apply to abstract surface water, usually for irrigation. Licensing is tighter than for groundwater and licences can carry conditions that restrict abstraction in dry periods. Farms relying on surface water normally keep a mains water connection as a backup.

Water supply for agriculture

Farms can reduce the volume of mains water they buy by capturing or reusing water already on site.

Rainwater harvesting

Farm buildings offer far more roof area than most commercial sites, which makes commercial rainwater harvesting viable where it would not be elsewhere. Collected rainwater suits yard washing, irrigation and, once treated, livestock troughs.

Greywater and water reuse

Greywater systems treat water that has already been used once and put it back to work on a lower-grade task such as yard cleaning or irrigation. On a dairy farm, that usually means plate cooler or final rinse water.

Reducing water consumption on farms

Farms that reduce water consumption cut their bills without changing how the business runs. A business water audit shows you where the water is going before you spend money on fixing it.

Fix leaks and overflows

Farm pipework is buried and spread across fields, so a leak can run for months before anyone notices. Pressure testing and overnight flow readings will locate commercial water leaks. Check the underground pipe runs first, as this is where most farms lose the most water.

Upgrade troughs and drinkers

Worn float valves overflow, and damaged troughs get emptied and refilled more often than they need to be. Replace old valves, move troughs out of reach of stock, and fit sensor-based drinkers in housing.

Improve irrigation efficiency

Drip and trickle systems deliver water straight to the root zone, so less is lost to runoff, wind and evaporation. Use soil moisture readings to decide when to irrigate rather than working to a fixed schedule.

Change how you clean

Fit trigger controlled hoses and the right nozzles, and use a pressure washer instead of an open hose. Scrape and sweep before you wash down, which cuts the volume used and the strength of the effluent produced.

Farm water monitoring

A single water meter at the boundary tells you what the whole farm used, not which part used it. Fitting water loggers to sub meters shows you each area separately. Smart water meters do the same job on newer installations, sending readings automatically without a logger fitted.

water loggers can provide the following information:

Overnight flow: Water use should drop to almost nothing when the farm is not running. If it does not, you have a leak.
Where the water goes: Parlour washing, troughs and irrigation shown separately, so you know what is driving the bill.
Meter readings to support a claim: A non-return to sewer allowance has to be backed up by measurement.
Accurate bills: Business water bills based on what you actually used rather than an estimate.