An innovative rainwater management project has been helping to keep the garden growing at Blackburn’s Farm Nurseries and Wildlife Centre in the village of Wrea Green.

During the summer, United Utilities in partnership with SDS Ltd installed four large smart rainwater tanks at the community farm. By collecting rainwater from large roof surfaces around the farm they have been helping to irrigate fruit and vegetables grown onsite that are then passed on to local foodbanks.

Their introduction is an extension of the smart water butt trial that began in the village in 2023. This has seen more than 50 homes benefitting from the introduction of the ‘intelligent’ water butts.

Traditionally, water butts are installed to capture rain running off roofs, to allow gardeners to save water for use during dry spells, however, once they are full, they can’t capture any more water and simply overflow.  The smart water butts use solar panels and a mini-computer to allow United Utilities to understand how much rainwater has been collected and to release some of it back into the sewer network if heavy rain is forecast.  This frees up more room to collect the amount of rain that’s forecast and prevents any excess from entering the sewage system.

Because the farm uses lots of water for irrigation, it doesn’t need to be released before it rains, but the smart system gathers data that can be used to monitor and manage the farm’s water use, helping them get the most from the system. Since their installation in July, the tanks have collected more than 30,000 litres with more than 16,000 litres being used on the farm.

The polytunnel at the farm is run by a dedicated team of volunteers who prepare food for local foodbanks, via collections every Friday.

Kirsty Cropper, Farm Manager at Blackburn’s said: "The smart water butt system has been a real game-changer, providing a sustainable water source for our polytunnel, and in turn allowing us to grow even more plants and vegetables.

"It has also been instrumental in watering our sapling trees and lavender plants around the farm. By capturing and using the rainwater, we are now much better equipped. The naturally soft rainwater is also ideal for irrigation, which will help enhance plant health and improve our yields."

Katy Bevan, Operations Manager in United Utilities’ rainwater management team said: “We’re always looking at how we can better manage rainfall across the region, so we can slow the flow of what enters our sewer network.

“As well as playing an important role in helping to tackle surface water flooding by slowing the flow of what enters our network, we are really keen to promote different methods of rainwater re-use. It’s great to see the positive impact this system has had at Blackburn’s Farm.”