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United Utilities has begun a catchment management project with farmers in Cheshire to grow crops that will reduce the amount of nitrates leaching in groundwater.
The partnership is intended to safeguard raw water supplies from the chemicals and reduce the amount of treatment the water needs.
Grants will be available for farmers to grow a hybrid of the miscanthus plant, also known as Chinese silver grass, on their land. UU is running a trial on 10 hectares of land and will continue to monitor the impact of the plants on nitrate leaching.
UU catchment advisor, Veronika Moore, said: “Miscanthus doesn’t require fertiliser during its lifetime (just a small amount to help aid establishment), because it retains a large proportion of the nutrients in the rhizomes rather than in the biomass. Therefore, nitrogen and nutrient requirements are very low.”
The catchment team in UU’s southern area is measuring how the miscanthus enhances the water environment when planted next to water sources.
The Environment Agency designated ten drinking water safeguard zones in the southern area in places where human activities have had a negative impact on the water quality. The safeguard zones are selected to see the impact of schemes for landowners and managers to improve water quality.
The woody plant can be used as biomass in in power stations and combined heat and power units offering a novel revenue stream to the farmers.
It is also used as a composite material in the production of biodegradable plastics and as a natural fibre in manufacturing.
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