Library
The internet is filled with reference material for water resource management planners, with hundreds of articles, reports, podcasts and other materials added daily. In this section of our website, we present reports and papers that we find interesting, focused on three areas:
1. Food and farming in Norfolk | 2. Irrigation and agriculture more generally, and | 3. Integrated water resource management planning (IWRM)
The library is updated monthly. If you have reports or other material you think would be of interest to our members, please let us know.
Norfolk
Broadland Rivers Catchment Partnership Plan
Originally published by the Broadland Catchment Partnership in 2014, the plan has been updated in 2025. It gives a high-level view of the issues being faced in Broadland catchments and lists priority actions, goals and related information.
Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service
Published by the UEA School of Environment in 2020, the compendium assesses the state of natural assets in Norfolk and Suffolk, highlighting where these are at risk. It also recommends “priority themes” including for water and water management.
Norfolk Insight (Norfolk Story)
This report from the Norfolk County Council Office of Data Analytics presents ONS and other data for the County, including on the role of the food and farming industry in the local economy.
Norfolk Water Fund
Resulting from work on the Norfolk Water Strategy Programme and the water fund model promoted by The Nature Conservancy, this business plan describes the state of the water environment in Norfolk and proposes a £30m portfolio of nature-based solutions to manage the related risks and issues.
Irrigation & Agriculture
RPA Report
Published in 2025, this report from economists at Risk & Policy Analysts Ltd seeks to quantify the value of water in irrigated agriculture, as well as the potential for adverse economic and job-related impacts from reductions in licenced quantities of abstraction.
Dieter Helm (2025)
A sober account of trends in British farming following Brexit, and the removal of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).
British Columbia Reference Guide
Published by the BC Agricultural Research & Development Corporation this lengthy document contains an interesting section on water management for food and farming businesses. This includes material on water supply, irrigation, water quality and the management of droughts. A water management plan checklist for farmers is also available on the BC website.
South San Joaquin Irrigation District Water Master Plan
An example of a 30-year water resource management plan for an irrigation district in southern California. The report sets out the vision, mission and goals for the irrigation district and then describes the work that is necessary to deliver these. The plan contains sections on water resources, land-use, infrastructure, outreach and funding.
Integrated Water Resource Management Planning
Imperial Irrigation District IWRMP
Prepared for the huge Imperial Irrigation District, this is an example of the type of Integrated Water Resource Management Plans which are being generated and published in California. IWRMPs are comprehensive planning documents prepared at regional scale to enable implementation of stakeholders water resource projects and prohgrammes.
Murray Darling
This CSIRO report for Murray Darling Water & Environmental Research Programme Climate Adaptation Theme presents the results of an investigation into the effect of different water allocation strategies on agricultural outcomes, under a changing climate. It presents a framework for making the related trade-offs and offers insights for policymakers concerned with the impact of climate change on the food and farming sector.
Colorado Water Plan
A great example of a cross-sector regional water resource management plan, designed to tackle the range of threats that are emerging in western US water supply systems including population growth, long-term warming & drying trends, major wildfires and multi-year droughts. The plan promotes collaboration including through basin-scale “roundtables” and more local strategies.
Dieter Helm (2025)
Another interesting paper from Dieter Helm dealing with the new Water Act 2026, and implementation of the Cunliffe Commission recommendations. It proposes a Catchment Regulation Model and the adoption of emerging mapping and AI technologies as an alternative to the current system for dealing with abstraction, water quality and flooding related issues.