Local Resource Options - Join Our Community

Looking to Improve Your Water Resilience?

A new round of Local Resource Option (LRO) Screening Study applications is now open. If you're part of a small group of farmers or growers and you're looking to improve your water resilience, this is your chance to apply for an expert evaluation, fully funded by the government.

Read the guidance and apply here: How to apply for a local water resources options screening study - GOV.UK

  • You’ll receive a consultant-led assessment of your group’s local water challenges
  • Identify practical, costed options to improve resilience
  • Work collaboratively with neighbouring farms and stakeholders

New Multi-Sector Opportunities: In addition to groups of farmers and growers, a portion of the funding is specifically set aside for studies involving multi-sector stakeholders in the Cambridge area, particularly where collaboration can deliver shared benefits and strengthen water resilience. If you're part of a multi-sector group and are interested in applying, please get in touch using the email address below.

Subscribe to this Water Hub page to be notified when the official application and guidance launches.


LRO Screening Studies - Supporting Water Resilience from the Ground Up

Farmers across England are facing growing uncertainty around water supply due to climate change, changing abstraction regulations, and increasing pressure on local water resources. To help address these challenges, the Environment Agency launched Local Resource Option (LRO) Screening Studies, a government funded initiative designed to support groups of farmers in identifying practical, local solutions to improve their long-term water resilience.

Each LRO screening study brings together a small group of farms to assess their current and future water needs. With support from water resource consultants, groups explore a range of water management options tailored to their area, whether that means expanding storage, capturing high-flow water, recycling treated effluent, or working together to share existing resources more efficiently.

The LRO programme is not just about technical solutions, it’s about empowering collaboration, supporting informed decision-making, and building a foundation for future investment and action.

The first round of the programme ran from August 2024 to February 2025, with 20 studies completed involving over 100 farms across four of the five regions of England. Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive with many growers valuing the tailored, expert advice and the opportunity to collaborate with neighbouring farms on shared water challenges. Several groups are now using their study results to inform planning applications, engage with regulators, or continue working together through Water Abstractor Groups (WAGs) and catchment partnerships.



"The recent LRO initiative generated much enthusiasm among farmer groups. It alerted many to the serious risks they face and the benefits of sitting down together to discuss storage and water sharing as a means of building resilience for the future."

- Melvyn Kay, Executive Secretary of the UK Irrigation Association


What is a Local Resource Option (LRO)?
Soil moisture monitoring systems are an example of an LRO.


A Local Resource Option (LRO) is a water resource solution designed to enhance water resilience or supply for a small group of abstractors within their area. Owned, operated, and managed by the abstractors themselves. LROs range from infrastructure projects like reservoirs and rainwater harvesting systems to collaborative solutions such as water sharing agreements or licence pooling.

The goal of an LRO is to help abstractors adapt to a changing climate by identifying viable, practical options to secure water for irrigation and future farm productivity, while protecting the environment.

While the LRO Screening Studies to date have primarily focused on farmers and growers, abstractors from other sectors, such as leisure or industry, could also benefit from implementing LROs. If you’re part of a non-agricultural organisation and interested in receiving a screening study in the next round, you may still be eligible. See above for more details.

  • Check out the links under Local Resource Options in Action to see how farm groups across England are already implementing their own LROs.



How the LRO Screening Studies Work

LRO Screening Studies are short, expert-led projects designed to help small groups of farmers, growers, or other abstractors explore practical ways to improve their water resilience. Each study is commissioned by the Environment Agency and delivered by specialist water resources consultants, typically taking 3 to 4 months from start to finish.

It all starts with a site visit and open conversation. The consultant will meet with participating farms to understand current water use, future needs, and the key challenges the group faces. From there, they identify a broad range of potential Local Resource Options, tailored to the local geography, infrastructure, and goals of the group.

These options are then screened and ranked to find the best fit. The top three are taken forward for detailed evaluation, which includes:

  • Estimated cost

  • Expected water yield and reliability

  • Environmental and social impact

  • Regulatory or technical challenges

  • Clear next steps for development

At the end of the study, each group receives a tailored report that gives them a clear, evidence-based roadmap for action. While the screening does not fund or guarantee implementation, it gives participants the insight and confidence to take their next steps, whether that’s applying for funding, progressing with planning, or working more closely with regulators and neighbours.

Note: Completing an LRO Screening Study does not influence future licensing or permitting decisions, and does not replace the need to go through standard application processes.



Looking to Improve Your Water Resilience?

A new round of Local Resource Option (LRO) Screening Study applications is now open. If you're part of a small group of farmers or growers and you're looking to improve your water resilience, this is your chance to apply for an expert evaluation, fully funded by the government.

Read the guidance and apply here: How to apply for a local water resources options screening study - GOV.UK

  • You’ll receive a consultant-led assessment of your group’s local water challenges
  • Identify practical, costed options to improve resilience
  • Work collaboratively with neighbouring farms and stakeholders

New Multi-Sector Opportunities: In addition to groups of farmers and growers, a portion of the funding is specifically set aside for studies involving multi-sector stakeholders in the Cambridge area, particularly where collaboration can deliver shared benefits and strengthen water resilience. If you're part of a multi-sector group and are interested in applying, please get in touch using the email address below.

Subscribe to this Water Hub page to be notified when the official application and guidance launches.


LRO Screening Studies - Supporting Water Resilience from the Ground Up

Farmers across England are facing growing uncertainty around water supply due to climate change, changing abstraction regulations, and increasing pressure on local water resources. To help address these challenges, the Environment Agency launched Local Resource Option (LRO) Screening Studies, a government funded initiative designed to support groups of farmers in identifying practical, local solutions to improve their long-term water resilience.

Each LRO screening study brings together a small group of farms to assess their current and future water needs. With support from water resource consultants, groups explore a range of water management options tailored to their area, whether that means expanding storage, capturing high-flow water, recycling treated effluent, or working together to share existing resources more efficiently.

The LRO programme is not just about technical solutions, it’s about empowering collaboration, supporting informed decision-making, and building a foundation for future investment and action.

The first round of the programme ran from August 2024 to February 2025, with 20 studies completed involving over 100 farms across four of the five regions of England. Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive with many growers valuing the tailored, expert advice and the opportunity to collaborate with neighbouring farms on shared water challenges. Several groups are now using their study results to inform planning applications, engage with regulators, or continue working together through Water Abstractor Groups (WAGs) and catchment partnerships.



"The recent LRO initiative generated much enthusiasm among farmer groups. It alerted many to the serious risks they face and the benefits of sitting down together to discuss storage and water sharing as a means of building resilience for the future."

- Melvyn Kay, Executive Secretary of the UK Irrigation Association


What is a Local Resource Option (LRO)?
Soil moisture monitoring systems are an example of an LRO.


A Local Resource Option (LRO) is a water resource solution designed to enhance water resilience or supply for a small group of abstractors within their area. Owned, operated, and managed by the abstractors themselves. LROs range from infrastructure projects like reservoirs and rainwater harvesting systems to collaborative solutions such as water sharing agreements or licence pooling.

The goal of an LRO is to help abstractors adapt to a changing climate by identifying viable, practical options to secure water for irrigation and future farm productivity, while protecting the environment.

While the LRO Screening Studies to date have primarily focused on farmers and growers, abstractors from other sectors, such as leisure or industry, could also benefit from implementing LROs. If you’re part of a non-agricultural organisation and interested in receiving a screening study in the next round, you may still be eligible. See above for more details.

  • Check out the links under Local Resource Options in Action to see how farm groups across England are already implementing their own LROs.



How the LRO Screening Studies Work

LRO Screening Studies are short, expert-led projects designed to help small groups of farmers, growers, or other abstractors explore practical ways to improve their water resilience. Each study is commissioned by the Environment Agency and delivered by specialist water resources consultants, typically taking 3 to 4 months from start to finish.

It all starts with a site visit and open conversation. The consultant will meet with participating farms to understand current water use, future needs, and the key challenges the group faces. From there, they identify a broad range of potential Local Resource Options, tailored to the local geography, infrastructure, and goals of the group.

These options are then screened and ranked to find the best fit. The top three are taken forward for detailed evaluation, which includes:

  • Estimated cost

  • Expected water yield and reliability

  • Environmental and social impact

  • Regulatory or technical challenges

  • Clear next steps for development

At the end of the study, each group receives a tailored report that gives them a clear, evidence-based roadmap for action. While the screening does not fund or guarantee implementation, it gives participants the insight and confidence to take their next steps, whether that’s applying for funding, progressing with planning, or working more closely with regulators and neighbours.

Note: Completing an LRO Screening Study does not influence future licensing or permitting decisions, and does not replace the need to go through standard application processes.



Page last updated: 06 Jun 2025, 11:17 AM