Organisations are looking beyond the traditional engineered approach to flood risk management and taking a natural catchment approach to flood management.
The Environment Agency and other groups and organisations concerned with flooding are looking increasingly to the natural landscape to help provide greater protection from extreme weather. The cost of constructing natural flood defences, such as leaky dams and catch pools, is much lower than engineered and hard flood defences and the structures fit well within the landscape and can be constructed through community groups, such as local flood action groups.
In 2015 the CCRI worked with Stroud District Council to tackle floods and help wildlife on the streams of the Stroud valleys. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on concrete and steel structures, it has been using trees and other natural features to reduce the risk of flooding in the area. Leaky dams have been built to help to slow down the momentum of water flowing down the hills into the valleys and increase the infiltration into the soil, thus reducing the risk of flooding. The dams are made by laying loose logs and wooden debris across the river, which, as well as slowing the flow of water, also provide habitats for wildlife
Working with local land owners, natural flood defence structures have been built in the headwaters of the Slad Brook and Painswick Stream. Stroud District Council released a film which was produced in partnership with the CCRI and Antony Lyons about the project and its work with local communities. (Stroud Rural SuDS Project - short film taster).
Over 60 individual natural flood defences have been constructed with many more due to be built this year. The cost of the work is much lower than engineered and hard flood defences and the structures fit well within the landscape.
Chris Uttley, who managed the project for Stroud District Council, said:
“Sustainable drainage systems have been in use in the built-up environment for a number of years now and this project uses these same principles but on a much larger scale. The overall aim is to reduce flood risk, improve water quality and restore wildlife. We are using a wide range of natural flood management techniques, including the building of large woody leaky dams across streams, excavating dry ponds and diverting flood water into natural soakaways. Some structures work by spreading water over the neighbouring land, others act like baffles, physically slowing down flood flows. All the structures provide great habitats for wildlife, reduce the amount of silt travelling downstream and importantly, slow the rate at which floods travel down the valleys, lowering the peak water height”
The scheme, known as the Rural Sustainable Drainage System (RSuDs), was funded by the Severn and Wye Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. Stroud District Council was the lead partner on the project. Gloucestershire County Council and the Environment Agency were also involved.
The project has also built strong links between local residents, landowners and local organisations.
CCRI’s Chris Short said:
Project worker, Chris Uttley, receives the ‘best green film’ award on behalf of the team at the Stroud Oscats on 9 March 2016. Photo by courtesy of James Banks
“The university and the CCRI in particular were delighted to work with the Stroud Rural SuDS project to develop the film. The project is such a good example of involving the local community to understand the issues and work towards a solution. Over time there will be multiple benefits not just for the local communities but for the environment and landowners as well.”
In March 2016, the film won the 'best green award' at the fourth Stroud Community TV awards. From over 2,200 films, the public had nominated their best films in seven different categories.
Chris Short said,
“To win this award was a real pleasure and the comments of the judges showed how impressed they were. This is a testament to the really productive working relationship between Chris Uttley, the project officer in Stroud, and Anthony Lyons who was the Artist in residence at the CCRI. The strong community connection in the film that was noted by the judges really showed through as a number of people who featured in the film were present for the awards." The film is called “Rural Sustainable Drainage – Natural Flood Management in the Stroud Valleys”
Antony Lyons spent a year as the CCRI Artist in Residence, supported by a Leverhulme Fellowship grant for a project called Sabrina Dreaming. Visit Sabrina Dreaming blogspot for more information.
Stroud Rural SuDS Project - short film taster
CCRI has been involved in extensive research in flood and water management. Some of the projects are listed below:
For more information on the Rural Sustainable Drainage System, please contact Chris Short: Email: cshort@glos.ac.uk. Tel +44 (0) 1242 714550
Read Chris's blog on natural flood management
Public Lecture - Natural Flood Management: Letting nature do what natures does
On 25 February 2016, Chris Short presented a public lecture at the University of Gloucestershire on natural flood management, much of it based on his work in the Rural Sustainable Drainage System project. Chris also talked about how farmers are changing their farming practices to become more resilient to changing weather patterns by looking to the soil, and how householders can contribute to natural flood management by constructing 'rain gardens' at their properties. More about Chris' lecture.
Project updates and activities
New publication on Natural Flood Management
Chris Short is lead author on a newly published paper linked to his work on Natural Flood Management in the Stroud valleys.
200 attend Natural Flood Management conference at University of Gloucestershire
Around 200 people attended a major conference on Natural Flood Management (NFM) at the University of Gloucestershire on 25th January. The conference -“Natural Flood Management: Enabling Partnerships and Action” – was organised by the CCRI and Stroud District Council and was aimed at building partnerships between local communities, flood groups, local authorities and land managers to enable them to deliver effective natural flood management at the local scale.
Flood Management conference now fully booked
The major flood conference, ‘Natural Flood Management: Enabling Partnerships and Action’, which is taking place on Wednesday 25th January at the University of Gloucestershire Oxstalls Campus, is now fully subscribed. The conference is aimed at building partnerships between local communities, flood groups, local authorities and land managers to deliver effective natural flood management at the local scale.
MEDIA COVERAGE – Natural Flood Management: a look at one of Stroud’s shining sustainable schemes
Media coverage “Natural Flood Management: a look at one of Stroud’s shining sustainable schemes”
Free conference on natural flood management
The CCRI is delighted to announce that in collaboration with Stroud District Council, the University of Gloucestershire will be hosting a major conference on Natural Flood Management in January 2017.
Innovative project tackling flood risk wins CPRE award
The Countryside and Community Research Institute at the University of Gloucestershire was part of a successful team that won a 2016 Gloucestershire CPRE award for ‘innovative use of natural resources, including land and water’.
Stroud rural sustainable drainage project awarded a 2016 Gloucestershire CPRE award
Chris Short successfully nominated the Stroud rural sustainable drainage project for a 2016 Gloucestershire CPRE award for ‘innovative use of natural resources, including land and water’
Chancellor announces welcome boost for flood defences
George Osborne announced a welcome boost of £700 million funding for flood defences and resilience in his budget yesterday. The CCRI has been actively involved in natural flood management in recent years and hopes that a large part of this new fund will be invested in natural flood defences.
CCRI wins film award at the Stroud ‘Oscats’
We are delighted to report that a film on natural flood management, which the CCRI helped to make, has won an award. From over 2,200 films, the public had nominated their best films in seven different categories. The winning film is called “Rural Sustainable Drainage – Natural Flood Management in the Stroud Valleys”
Letting nature do what nature does – Chris Short presents public lecture on natural flood management
CCRI’s Chris Short gave a public lecture at the University of Gloucestershire Oxstalls Campus on the subject of natural flood management on Thursday, 25th February.
CCRI film nominated for award
A film which the CCRI helped to make has been nominated for a Stroud Community TV Award. From over 2,200 films, the public has nominated their best films in seven different categories. Rural Sustainable Drainage – Natural Flood Management in the Stroud Valleys has been nominated as one of the best Green Films of 2015. The film relates to work that the CCRI undertook with Stroud District Council to tackle floods and help wildlife on the streams of the Stroud valleys.
Introducing natural flood management: protecting people and enhancing wildlife
This blog post should have been started a while ago – for the moment I did, the ferocious rain seems to have died down. Nevertheless we now know that December 2015 was the wettest month on record, not that this is any consolation for much of northern England and Scotland. Now is the period for offering proposals to make sure ‘it does not happen again’, not that this is really possible but we should try.