Aquifer recharge on farmland

Groundwater storage

Since Roman times, European agriculturalists have aimed to 'improve drainage' by getting rainwater off the ground and into the sea as swiftly as possible. This is because crops do not flourish when their roots are waterlogged. The process of land drainage must now be reversed, though always with the aim of mitigating adverse impacts on agriculture. Where conditions are favourable (eg where a permeable soil overlies a porous rock) special measures should be taken to assist surface water infiltration. This will help to maintain river flows.