The Upper Ouse Water Management Board joins the Water Management Alliance

The Upper Ouse Water Management Board was established in 2026 following the amalgamation of the Bedfordshire and River Ivel Internal Drainage Board, the Buckingham and River Ouzel Internal Drainage Board, and the Alconbury and Ellington Internal Drainage Board. Covering parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and surrounding areas, the Board manages more than 1,100 kilometres of watercourses and plays a vital role in flood risk management, watercourse maintenance, and providing sustainable drainage and development advice.

Through its membership of the WMA, the Board will benefit from access to shared specialist services including engineering, environmental management, GIS (mapping), development control, project delivery, governance and financial support. The shared services model strengthens operational resilience and supports efficient, consistent delivery of water management services in the face of increasing pressures from climate change, population growth and major infrastructure development.

The Upper Ouse Water Management Board’s district includes areas of significant growth and nationally important infrastructure projects, where effective water level management and drainage infrastructure are critical to sustainable development. Membership of the WMA enables the Board to draw on wider technical expertise while maintaining its local accountability and focus on serving its communities.

Sam Markillie MBE, Chair of the WMA, said:

“On behalf of the Water Management Alliance and our Member Boards, I am delighted to welcome the Upper Ouse Water Management Board to the group.

“Water level and flood risk management is becoming increasingly complex, and collaboration through a shared services model allows Internal Drainage Boards to access specialist expertise, improve resilience and deliver better outcomes for the communities, businesses and environments they serve.

“The Upper Ouse Water Management Board brings extensive experience and responsibility for a strategically important drainage district, and we look forward to working closely together as part of the Alliance.”

Doug McMurdo, Chair of the Upper Ouse Water Management Board, said:

“We are absolutely delighted that the Upper Ouse Water Management Board (WMA), is formally a Member of the Water Management Alliance. We have worked tirelessly over the last five years, to amalgamate our three Boards; Bedfordshire and River Ivel Internal Drainage Board, the Buckingham and River Ouzel Internal Drainage Board, and the Alconbury and Ellington Internal Drainage Board into one Board, the new Upper Ouse Water Management Board and whilst executing this (effective 1st April 2026), we have aligned ourselves strongly with the WMA over the years, and to become a full Member of the ‘Consortium’ is a fantastic step forward.

This brings about several advantages to and for all our stakeholders, to include our much-valued staff, in that we are now a player in a much bigger team. This will ensure we have greater resilience within our operations and the ability to call on support from the bigger team.”

The addition of the Upper Ouse Water Management Board further strengthens the collective reach of the Water Management Alliance, increasing the total managed watercourse network across Member Boards to more than 3,700 kilometres and supporting flood risk management across a combined watershed catchment of over 306,299 hectares.

While benefiting from the WMA’s shared services, the Upper Ouse Water Management Board will continue to operate as an independent public body, retaining local decision-making and accountability for its drainage district.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to delivering efficient, sustainable and resilient water management for communities, agriculture, infrastructure and the environment, both now and in the future.