Water abstraction licence applications

Whether you're a farm, a business or an open loop ground source heating scheme, the right abstraction licence is essential and getting one can be slow and confusing. Aquifer Energy manages the whole process with the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and SEPA, from the first application to the licence being issued, as well as renewals and volume increases.

Do you need an abstraction licence?

In England, abstracting more than 20 m³ of water a day from groundwater or surface water normally needs a licence from the Environment Agency. Wales (NRW) has similar thresholds. Scotland (SEPA) runs its own authorisation system. Some activities are exempt, so it's worth checking early, before you drill or commit to a design.

The licensing process in England

Pre-application discussion with the Environment Agency about the site, volumes and local water availability.
Application for consent to investigate (form WR32), describing the proposed borehole and pumping test.
Water features survey. The Agency usually asks for every borehole, well, spring, pond and watercourse within a set radius to be visited and recorded. See our Water Features Survey page.
Ground investigation consent. Once issued, it allows the borehole to be drilled and test pumped. This stage typically takes 4 to 8 weeks.
Drilling and test pumping, with monitoring of nearby features where required.
Hydrogeological impact assessment (HIA), showing the effect of the abstraction on other water users and the environment.
Licence application and determination, including any conditions the Agency proposes.

Farms and industry: new licences, increases and renewals

The Environment Agency is increasingly reducing licensed volumes in catchments where water resources are under pressure. This mainly affects time-limited licences when they come up for renewal. We help clients:

renew time-limited licences and negotiate to protect their volumes
apply for new licences in restricted or over-abstracted catchments, using detailed impact assessments and conditions such as hands-off flow (HoF) limits
increase licensed volumes as a business grows

Open loop ground source heat pumps

Open loop systems pump groundwater through a heat pump and usually return it to the aquifer. They are very efficient, but in England and Wales most need both an abstraction licence and a discharge permit. We manage both, alongside the system design. See our Open Loop Systems page.

Case study: abstraction licence increase in Kent

A client's expansion and rising crop yields meant their existing licence no longer met their needs. With multiple nearby abstractors, a SSSI and vulnerable groundwater, we agreed the approach with the Environment Agency, completed a water features survey, planned the monitoring, secured ground investigation consent, supervised test pumping and prepared a detailed hydrogeological impact assessment to support the increased licence volume.

For help with a new licence, a renewal or a volume increase, email lawrence@aquifer.energy with an outline of your scheme.