No horsing around here! Our Amber helps farmers all over the region.
13th May 2022
Have you ever just stopped and marvelled at the patchwork fields that blanket the South West’s hills? Whether it be the bright, almost glowing, green grazing fields; the garish yellow rapeseed fields; the warm gold wheat fields; or the promise that lies in a freshly ploughed one – the landscape just wouldn’t be the same without them. Their beauty is one of the many things that symbolise the determination and skill of farmers in our region. They face many challenges already, without adding slopes, rocks, and extremely narrow lanes to the mix!
Today, there’s almost a romance surrounding this career. Many people dream of having a small-holding with a few animals and home-grown vegetables, using organic techniques to sustain it. Maybe add a solar farm, rainwater harvesting systems and compost toilets to go completely off-grid. A retreat in the countryside – lovely!
The reality of farming is a far cry from this tranquillity, and farmers have a huge responsibility. It takes an incredible amount of skill to balance increasing demand and running costs with the impact this can have on the environment. Fertilisers and pesticides allow for larger crops with less food being eaten by bugs, mice and birds. But they can also have devastating effects on the soil, ecosystems and, therefore, biodiversity. Not to mention the watercourses that excess phosphorus and nitrates might end up in.
This is where our inspirational Amber comes in. As part of our Upstream Thinking Team, she manages projects that provide farmers with advice and funding to help better manage their land. Amber also works with other agencies who help farmers work together in large catchment groups to reduce any negative environmental impact they might be having in their area.
Amber confessed to me that before starting to volunteer with us back in 2018, she hadn’t realised the work the water industry puts in to help the environment. “While I was doing my International Baccalaureate Diploma, there was one thing that I wanted to do and that was to talk to someone high up in an environmental group. In my eyes, they were the ones making actual change and profound impact on others to do the right thing for the environment.”
Since then, she’s learnt they aren’t the only ones! “I always wanted to have a job where I’m making a difference to the natural environment. And this job is just that,” she told me. What’s more, in her role, she gets to work in partnership with those environmental groups. “When I found myself, as a new employee, in a room with the Environment Agency, CEOs from Rivers Trusts, Wildlife Trusts and National Parks – it was a dream come true.”
Amber’s love of her job is clear. So, what kind of projects does she manage?
“I’m always amazed by the work going on across the South West to change management and behaviour on our farms. For instance, planting trees slows rainwater running off the fields, giving the soil a chance to soak it all in before it reaches the river. Trees are also really important for improving soil structure and capturing carbon! Fencing along watercourses stops livestock coming down for a drink and passing harmful bacteria into the water (which is killed at our treatment works before it reaches your taps). We also conduct free soil samples to help farmers calculate just the right amount of fertiliser/pesticide to use in a given area, which means less wastage of chemicals, better soil health and less chance of residue entering the rivers.”
And why’s it important for you? Well, by working with farmers upstream, our water treatment works have less to deal with downstream. This means less energy is used to get your tap water into the same tip-top condition.
We’re proper proud of the work Amber and the others in Upstream Thinking are doing to continually maintain the very high standards we have for our drinking water.