Water Management Alliance
The Water Management Alliance is a consortium of like-minded Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) operating predominantly in the Anglian Region of the United Kingdom who share vision, values and standards, and have chosen to jointly administer their affairs in order to reduce costs, strengthen their own organisations and increase influence at both a national and regional level.
WMA members include Broads IDB, East Suffolk IDB, King’s Lynn IDB, Norfolk Rivers IDB, South Holland IDB and Waveney, Lower Yare and Lothingland IDB. We also provide support services to the Pevensey and Cuckmere Water Level Management Board.
Our members are democratically accountable statutory bodies that seek to protect some 548,000 hectares of East Anglia. We have over 900 years of experience protecting and defending our wonderful parts of England.
The WMA has a brand new head office in Kings Lynn as well as smaller offices throughout Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire.
Internal Drainage Boards
IDBs are local public authorities that manage flood risk and land drainage within areas of special drainage need in England. Each IDB has permissive powers to undertake water management activities within their Internal Drainage District. The purpose of delivering this work is to reduce flood risk to people and property and to manage water in a way that meets the local needs of business and agriculture, including during times of drought, whilst also dealing with its obligations and commitments to the environment.
IDBs exercise a general power of supervision over all matters relating to water level management within their district. This is undertaken through the use of permissive powers that enable IDBs to regulate works on, or affecting, the watercourses within their area. Advice is also provided by IDBs through the planning system to ensure that planning applications for new development within their districts are supported by appropriate drainage strategies.
For more information please visit www.wlma.org.uk.