-How much water will be needed throughout the year for crops and livestock

-Whether existing water sources are reliable and can be utilised

-Ensure there is no water runoff that could contaminate fresh water sources with manure or fertilisers

-Maintain the stability and structure of the soil and banks on natural water courses to reduce erosion and the loss of sediment

-Manage the possibility and event of flooding and the drainage that would be needed

Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018

8. A land manager must ensure that organic manure is not applied to agricultural land within 50 metres of a spring, well or borehole.

(1)  A land manager must ensure that poaching is prevented within 5 metres of inland freshwaters or coastal waters.

(2)       The land manager must ensure that a livestock feeder is not positioned on agricultural land

(a)    within 10 metres of inland freshwaters or coastal waters, or (b) within 50 metres of a spring, well or borehole.

Water use – calculate livestock and crop requirements, monitor usage, fix leaks, and avoid over-watering to reduce waste and runoff.

Water courses – identify nearby streams/ditches, maintain buffer strips, prevent manure or fertiliser spreading near water, and restrict livestock access to reduce pollution and bank damage.

Water sources – know where water comes from, ensure abstraction licences are in place if required, install storage, and have contingency plans for supply interruptions or drought.

Other – test private water supplies regularly, store slurry and silage safely, and follow nutrient planning to protect water quality and improve long-term sustainability.

-Whether or not the sources is safe for livestock consumption

-Risk from upstream pollution

-Abstraction license for taking water from groundwater, rivers or lakes

-Limitations of abstraction in the event of a drought

-Cost considerations between mains water vs utilising boreholes or reservoirs

-Energy usage and cost for pumping groundwater

-Labour and management time needed

• How much water will be needed throughout the year and ensure there is a strong enough water supply.

• If abstracting water from rivers or streams for irrigation ensure you have the correct license and abstraction allowance

water courses:

• Ensure there is enough margin around the outside of fields so when spraying and fertilizing the water in the ditches don't get contaminated. Is usually 1 meter from top of ditch this can vary on the type of chemical.

• Try to minimise runoff and stop soil and sediment getting in steams as this leaches nutrients and nitrogen into the water. This can lead to fish dying and loss of soil off fields

A spring is part of a wider groundwater system, so farmers need to understand how stable and reliable it is. some springs run all year round, some dry up in the summer, a farmer needs to know the expected minimum flow of the spring is before they start planning using it for irrigation or livestock use.

when irrigating during hot periods of the year, doing it at night reduces the evaporation making it more effective.

make sure the water quality is at the right levels for the crop that you are growing.

for long term water security have an on farm reservoir, shared water storage schemes, water trading agreements or a plan for when there's a drought