A golf course sprinkler system fed from borehole water

Drilling a water borehole for your business

As a business owner, you’re always looking for ways to cut costs and improve your sustainability efforts. One way to do both is by using borehole water. This alternative water source can help you save money on your water bills while also reducing your environmental impact. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of borehole water for businesses.

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Do you own or run a business where your water consumption is a major cost? In 2023 the cost of wholesale mains water will rise; in some areas as much as 10-12%!

How can borehole water help my business?

Passing ever-increasing costs on to your customers or absorbing them into your profits remain competitive isn’t really much of a choice.

Borehole water can be a game-changer for businesses looking to reduce their water expenses and improve their sustainability efforts. A borehole can help reduce your water costs by as much as 90%. That’s a massive saving for your business. This means borehole water has a great return on investment (ROI). You’ll pay no standing and sewer charges and your own private well water supply means your water bills will virtually evaporate. Both domestic and commercial borehole water users can draw up to 20,000 litres of water everyday for free applying for an extraction licence from the Environmental Agency.

Other benefits of using borehole water for your business

Borehole water not only offers huge savings for your business, but there’s other significant benefits too:

Environmental credentials
Self-sufficiency
No more supply disruptions
No more water shortages

Where do I start if I need a water abstraction licence

Step 1

If your business will use more than 20,000 litres of water (20 cubic metres) per-day, you’ll need to apply for an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency. There are a few initial stages you’ll need to complete before you can apply for the abstraction licence. Prior to applying you may need to find out the following:

Will there be enough water for your needs?
Is the water quality good enough for your needs?
How will your proposal effect the environment?

The Environment Agency has ground water support teams for different UK areas, you can contact them about your proposal or apply for ‘consent to investigate’.

Your local area should have an abstraction licensing strategy, which will help you find out the amount of water in your area. You’ll then need to contact the Environment Agency with your proposal.

Step 2

The next stage is applying for ‘consent to investigate’ using an application form (there’s no charge for this). The Environment Agency should reply within 10 days once they’ve received your application. You may then need to fill in a water features survey for the area of your proposed water borehole. This may include existing boreholes or wells, ponds or lakes, even if they’ve been filled in. The Environment Agency will let you know what information they need.

Step 3

When the Environment Agency have received your report and are happy with its contents, they will usually allow you consent to investigate for 6 months. You’ll then need to carry out pumping tests and a groundwater impact report. Once you have these reports you can then apply for an abstraction licence.

Of course this is just a brief outline of what’s required, you’ll find more in-depth information on the gov.uk site.