Mapping the financial benefits of sprinkler irrigation and potential financial impact of restrictions on abstraction: A case-study in Anglian Region

This paper describes the development of a Geographic Information Systems (G IS)-based methodology to estimate and map the potential financial benefits of irrigation and the potential financial impacts of restrictions on abstra ction for sprinkler irrigation. The framework within which the Environment Agency will use the methodology is presented. All water abstractions in England and Wales are licensed and controlled by the Environment Agency. The Water Resources Act (1991) allows the Environme nt Agency to impose restrictions on abstraction for sprinkler irrigation in order to avoid or reduce adverse environmental impact. Imposing total or p artial restrictions on irrigation can have significant financial consequenc es for farm production and farm incomes. The Environment Act (1995) placed a duty on the Environment Agency to take account of the likely costs and be nefits that may follow from its actions. However, the value of water for ir rigation varies spatially. GIS techniques enable this variability to be ana lysed. The analysis is applied to the Environment Agency Anglian Region. The resul ts confirm that the benefits of irrigation are significant, and that financ ial impacts of restrictions on abstraction can be very high. Maps are prese nted showing the potential benefits of irrigation (per area and per unit vo lume of water) and the costs of restrictions at various times. Coping strat egies, which farmers can adopt to mitigate the impacts, are discussed. Desp ite a number of limitations, the methodology appears to work well, particul arly in intensively irrigated areas. (C) 2000 Academic Press.