Solway Tweed River Basin District
Flood Risk Management Plan 2015 - 2021 PART A – Background and River Basin District wide information (English Catchments)
March 2016
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Published by: Environment Agency Further copies of this report are available Horizon house, Deanery Road, from our publications catalogue: Bristol BS1 5AH www.gov.uk/government/publications Email: [email protected] or our National Customer Contact Centre: www.gov.uk/environment-agency T: 03708 506506
Email: [email protected]. © Environment Agency 2016 All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Environment Agency.
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Solway Tweed River Basin District Flood Risk Management Plan December 2015
River Eden near Wetheral
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This is a joint plan prepared by the following Risk Management Authorities:
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Foreword
The 2013/14 and 2015/16 winter storms and flooding had significant impacts on some communities, businesses, infrastructure, rural areas and the environment. Evidence suggests there could be more extremes in the weather with a changing climate leading to more frequent and more severe flooding. During December 2015, Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank brought record breaking rainfall levels and significant flooding to some parts of the UK. Over 19,000 homes and businesses were flooded, with thousands more affected by loss of power supply and travel disruption. Existing flood defences played an essential part in protecting thousands of homes during December with 12,500 benefitting during Storm Desmond and 10,900 during Storm Eva. Support is in place for affected communities, business and the agricultural sector, along with a programme of inspections and repairs to damaged defences. These December 2015 flood events have emphasised the need to be sure we have the very best possible plans in place for flood management across the whole country. Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) are committed to producing Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) required by the EU Floods Directive. This FRMP is an important part of meeting that objective and aligns with the Defra Strategy and guiding principles of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. The FRMP will provide the evidence to support decision making. The FRMP will also help promote a greater awareness and understanding of the risks of flooding, particularly in those communities at high risk, and encourage and enable householders, businesses and communities to take action to manage the risks. The highest priority is to reduce risk to life. Measures (actions) in individual FRMPs do not all have secured funding and are not guaranteed to be implemented. Money is allocated to all RMA measures in the same way, based on current Government policy that gives the highest priority to lives and homes. This document has been produced in consultation with professional partners. The Flood Risk Management Plan (FRMP) sets out the proposed measures to manage flood risk in the Solway Tweed River Basin District (river basin district) from 2015 to 2021. This plan should be read in conjunction with the following: Lead Local Flood Authority Local Strategies listed in Annex 2 In England, RMAs include the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs), district councils (where there are no unitary authorities), internal drainage boards, water companies and highway authorities. These RMAs work in partnership with communities to reduce the risk of flooding. The Environment Agency would like to thank the organisations listed on the previous pages for their contributions and feedback during consultation. Flood risk in England will continue to change as a result of a growing population and a changing climate. There are many ways to manage flood risk including maintaining and building new flood defences, building flood resilient homes and working more closely with nature to restore flood plains. Flood risk management planning is not new and RMAs have been able to draw on the experience of partners and earlier plans. This FRMP brings together for the first time measures to address all sources of flooding. Following the December 2015 floods, Defra announced a National Flood Resilience Review, to assess how the country can be better protected from future flooding and increasingly extreme weather events. The review is looking at climate modelling, infrastructure, resilience and future investment strategy. Government is also working to strengthen or establish partnerships in the areas most flood affected to encourage a more integrated approach to managing risk across the whole catchment. These Partnerships are considering improvements to flood defences, upstream options to help slow the flow and surface water runoff, and how planning and design of urban areas can help reduce flood risk. They are also aiming to build stronger links between local residents, community groups and flood management planning and decision making. The resulting actions from the Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire will complement the measures in the relevant FRMPs and the learning from this approach will be shared across the country. In England, the Government is investing £2.3bn on 1,500 flood defence schemes between 2015-2021. Investment in flood risk management infrastructure not only reduces the risks of flooding but also supports growth by helping to create new jobs, bringing confidence to areas previously affected by floods and creating and restoring habitats. Page 5 of 87
The FRMP also sets out how these proposed measures can contribute to improving the environment and how they support the objectives of River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) and specifically the Solway Tweed RBMP that the Environment Agency has produced in parallel with this FRMP. Both flood risk management and river basin planning form an important part of a collaborative and integrated approach to catchment planning for water. Building on this essential work, and in the context of the Governments 25- year environment plan, we aim to move towards more integrated planning for the environment over the next cycle. This will be done on a catchment basis and will draw together and integrate objectives for flood risk management, water management, and biodiversity, with the aim of maximising the multiple benefits that can be achieved.
Steve Moore Director of Operations, North and East
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Contents
Glossary and abbreviations ...... 9 The format of the flood risk management plan ...... 11 The layout of this document ...... 11 Section 1: what is flood risk and who manages it? ...... 11 Section 2: what is a flood risk management plan? ...... 11 Section 3: how the plan has been developed ...... 11 Section 4: how to manage risk ...... 11 Section 5: getting to know the river basin district ...... 12 Section 6: key flood risk issues in the river basin district ...... 12 Section 7: the sub-areas ...... 12 Section 8: conclusions, objectives and measures ...... 12 Section 9: implementing the plan, monitoring and reporting ...... 12 Find out more ...... 12 1 What is flood risk and who manages it? ...... 13 What is the likelihood of this happening and what does this mean? ...... 13 Roles and Responsibilities ...... 14 Existing flood management schemes and properties protected ...... 16 Flood Risk Information ...... 16 Flooding from rivers and the sea ...... 16 Flooding from reservoirs ...... 16 Flooding from surface water ...... 17 2 What is a Flood Risk Management Plan? ...... 18 What is the flood risk management plan for? ...... 18 Why are flood risk management plans being prepared? ...... 18 What the plan does ...... 18 What types of flood risk are included in the flood risk management plan? ...... 20 3 How the plan has been developed...... 22 The approach to developing flood risk management plans ...... 22 Consultation and engagement ...... 23 Cross-Border Areas of the Solway-Tweed river basin district ...... 23 Objective setting ...... 24 Six year investment programme ...... 25 Long term investment scenarios ...... 25 Flood and coastal risk management and agriculture ...... 26 Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations ...... 26 How flood risk management plans have been co-ordinated with river basin management planning (RBMP) ...... 26 4 How to manage risk ...... 28 National flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England ...... 28
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Measures for managing risk ...... 29 Flood risk management activities ...... 29 Working with Communities ...... 31 Partnership Working...... 32 Catchment based approach ...... 33 5 Getting to know the Solway Tweed River Basin District ...... 35 Introduction ...... 35 Water ...... 35 Flood risk management systems and drainage ...... 36 Climate and climate change adaptation ...... 38 Coastal erosion risk management ...... 39 Coastal Squeeze ...... 40 Society and health ...... 41 Land use ...... 41 Economic activity ...... 43 Recreation and tourism ...... 43 Infrastructure ...... 44 Landscape ...... 44 Biodiversity ...... 47 Cultural heritage ...... 47 Geology ...... 48 Soil ...... 49 6 Key Flood Risk Issues in the Solway Tweed River Basin District ...... 50 Flood History ...... 51 Flood Risk from Rivers and the Sea ...... 53 Flood risk from reservoirs ...... 58 Flood risk from surface water ...... 62 Groundwater flood risk ...... 63 Sewer flood risk ...... 64 7 Sub-areas in the Solway Tweed river basin district ...... 68 Introduction ...... 68 Management Catchments ...... 69 8 Conclusions, objectives and measures to manage risk for the Solway Tweed river basin district 70 Conclusions ...... 70 Objectives to manage risk for the Solway Tweed river basin district ...... 74 Measures across the Solway Tweed river basin district ...... 75 Flood Risk Management Plan contributing to broader benefits ...... 80 9 Implementing the plan ...... 85 The Catchment based approach ...... 85 Monitoring delivery of measures ...... 85
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Glossary and abbreviations
AONB Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty BAP Biodiversity Action Plan Catchment The watershed of a surface water river system CaBA Catchment based approach: an approach to environmental planning that focuses on local engagement and partnerships CFMP Catchment Flood Management Plan Coastal Groups Voluntary coastal defence groups made up of maritime district authorities and other bodies with coastal defence responsibilities. Cross Border Set up under The Flood Risk (Cross Border Areas) Regulations 2012 (SI No. Advisory Group 1102). A statutory group made up of representatives from SEPA, Environment (CBAG) Agency and local authorities within the cross border areas. Cross Border Those areas designated as ‘cross border’ under The Flood Risk (Cross Border Areas Areas) Regulations 2012 (SI No. 1102). CWS County Wildlife Site DCLG Department for Communities and Local Government Defra Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs EA Environment Agency EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EPR Environmental Protection Regulations EU European Union FCERM Flood and coastal erosion risk management Floods Directive The European Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) on the assessment and management of flood risks. Flood Risk Area Areas where the risk of flooding from local flood risks is significant as (FRA) designated under the Flood Risk Regulations. Fluvial A term used to refer to the processes associated with rivers and streams FRM Flood Risk Management FRMP Flood Risk Management Plan – plan produced to deliver the requirements of the Flood Risk Regulations. Government The term government is used within this report to refer to Defra (the Department for Environment, Flood and Rural Affairs) and Welsh Government. Groundwater Occurs when water levels in the ground rise above the natural surface. Low- flooding lying areas underlain by permeable strata are particularly susceptible. Ha Hectares HLS Higher Level (Environmental) Stewardship HRA Habitats Regulations Assessment: an assessment undertaken in relation to a site designated under the Habitats and Birds Directives Km Kilometres LDF Local Development Framework LLFA Lead Local Flood Authority Local FRM Local flood risk management strategy produced by LLFAs under the Flood and Strategy Water Management Act 2010.
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Main river A watercourse shown as such on the main river map, and for which the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales has responsibilities and powers MSFW Making Space for Water National FCERM National flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy: these are Strategy strategies prepared under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, by the Environment Agency for England and by Welsh Government for Wales. NNR National Nature Reserve NRW Natural Resources Wales. The NRW took over the functions of the Environment Agency in Wales on 1st April 2013. Ordinary All watercourses that are not designated Main River, and which are the watercourses (OW) responsibility of Local Authorities or, where they exist, Internal Drainage Boards. PFRA Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment – these were required to be published by December 2011 and were the first stage in delivering the Regulations. PU Policy Unit Ramsar Wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention Reservoir A natural or artificial lake where water is collected and stored until needed. Reservoirs can be used for irrigation, recreation, providing water supply for municipal needs, hydroelectric power or controlling water flow. Risk management Organisations that have a key role in flood and coastal erosion risk authorities (RMAs) management as defined by the Act. These are the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, lead local flood authorities, district councils where there is no unitary authority, internal drainage boards, water companies, and highways authorities. RFCCs Regional Flood and Coastal Committees River Basin District These are the reporting units to the European Commission for the Water (river basin district) Framework Directive and the Floods Directive. RBMP River Basin Management Plan – plan required by the European Water Framework Directive. Riparian owner Owner of land adjoining, above or with a watercourse running through it. River flooding Occurs when water levels in a channel overwhelms the capacity of the channel. SAC Special Area of Conservation SAM Scheduled Ancient Monument SAMP System Asset Management Plan SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment SFRA Strategic Flood Risk Assessment SMP Shoreline Management Plan SPA Special Protection Area SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest SuDS Sustainable Drainage Systems Surface water Flooding from rainwater (including snow and other precipitation) which has not flooding entered a watercourse, drainage system or public sewer. SWMP Surface Water Management Plan UKCIP United Kingdom Climate Impact Projections
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The format of the flood risk management plan
Flood Risk Management Plans have been divided into four sections to help readers identify and access information relevant to them. This is Part A. The plan is divided the plan into four parts: Name Audience Summary Document For those who a high level overview of the plan
Part A: Background and river basin For those who need some legislative background and district wide information river basin district wide, high level information
Part B: Catchment Summaries For those who want the detail of the sub-areas and flooding statistics. This section includes the catchments based on Water Framework Directive (WFD) management catchments, Flood Risk Areas (identified through the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment) and other strategic areas across the river basin district.
Part C: Appendices For those who want to see the detailed program of work for individual communities
Part A, Background and River Basin District wide information - sets the scene for the FRMPs - what they are, what they are for and how we have developed them. Part A goes on to describe the river basin district at that scale. The other parts of the flood risk management plan are located on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/solway-tweed-river-basin-district-flood-risk- management-plan )
The layout of this document Section 1: what is flood risk and who manages it? This explains what flood risk is, who is responsible for managing the risk and what their roles are. Section 2: what is a flood risk management plan? What a FRMP is, why it is being developed and describes the kind of information that is included in the FRMP. Section 3: how the plan has been developed Describes how the Environment Agency, lead local flood authorities (LLFAs) and other risk management authorities (RMAs) have prepared this FRMP. Section 4: how to manage risk Page 11 of 87
Describes some of the terminology used, such as ’conclusions’, ’objectives’ and ‘measures’, and how they relate to flood and coastal erosion risk management.
Section 5: getting to know the river basin district Introduces the Thames river basin district (river basin district) and the ‘sub-areas’ that divide the river basin district further. Section 6: key flood risk issues in the river basin district The flood and coastal erosion risks are set out for the river basin district. Section 7: the sub-areas This section introduces each of the sub-areas in turn. Section 8: conclusions, objectives and measures Sets out the risk conclusions, objectives and measures for the river basin district Section 9: implementing the plan, monitoring and reporting Sets out the proposals for implementing the plan, including co-ordination with the implementation of the RBMPs prepared under the WFD. Section 9 concludes with how the measures will be monitored and reported. Find out more Throughout this document you will be directed via hyperlink to more detailed sources of information using 'find out more’ boxes.
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PART A 1 What is flood risk and who manages it?
The Flood and Water Management Act (2010) defines flooding as any case where land not normally covered by water becomes covered by water. Flood risk is a combination of two components: the chance (or probability/ likelihood) that a location will flood from any source or type of flooding, and the impact (or consequence) that the flooding would cause if it occurred. Flood risk management is generally concerned with reducing harm which might take the form of property damage or physical injury to people and wildlife. However, flooding can also have beneficial effects too, in particular for wetland wildlife as well as some types of agriculture that are water dependent.
Risk Likelihood Impact = x
Figure 1 What is flood risk?
Risk captures the severity of, or related consequences produced by, a flood event. Impacts can be social, economic and environmental, for example the number of properties flooded and the level of associated economic damages. The consequences of a flood depend on the level of exposure and the vulnerability of those affected. What is the likelihood of this happening and what does this mean? Probability (or chance) is a measure of the likelihood that a defined event will occur. The probability of a flood event is typically defined as the relative frequency of occurrence of that flood being equalled or exceeded. Probability can be expressed as a fraction, percentage, a decimal or description, and should always make reference to a time period. For example, the industry refers to a 1 in 100 chance of flooding in any given year’ or a 1% annual probability of flooding’, which both refer to the same likelihood. Assessing impacts of flooding prior to an event usually involves estimating the potential impact of flooding on people, property and the environment. The theoretical probability of flooding is illustrated by the Environment Agency Flood Maps which show flood risk for rivers and the sea, surface water and reservoirs. Flood models which are the basis for our flood maps use uniform rainfall scenario (the same amount of rainfall falling across the country), whereas in reality rainfall rates vary greatly from one town to another. It is not possible to prevent all flooding, but there are a variety of actions which can manage these risks and their impacts on communities. Flood risk managers must identify all potential options to manage flood risk and balance the needs of communities, the economy and the environment. Risk management authorities (RMAs) should work in partnership with each other and communities to manage flood risk, ensuring that communities are part of the decision making process and understand and actively prepare for the risks. By working together risk management authorities should actively seek opportunities to coordinate risk management, encourage partnership funding and deliver multiple benefits. By working together risk management authorities should actively seek opportunities to coordinate risk management, encourage partnership funding and deliver multiple benefits.
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Roles and Responsibilities Table 1 and 2 show the RMAs involved in flood risk management in England and their roles and responsibilities. The responsibilities for managing flooding in the UK is divided between different risk management authorities (RMAs) as defined in the Flood and Water Management Act. RMAs have powers and duties to manage the different forms for flooding that can occur as shown in table 1 (page 14). The Environment Agency is responsible for taking a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal erosion. Following the December 2015 floods Defra is looking at how this strategic overview role can be strengthened at the catchment scale to promote a more integrated approach to managing the water environment. Table 1 Summary of responsibilities for risk management authorities
Lead Local Internal Environment District Water Highways Risk Source Flood Drainage Agency Councils Company Authority Authority Board
Main River
Sea flooding
Surface Water
Surface Water (on or coming from the Highway) Sewer Flooding
Ordinary Watercourse Groundwater Reservoirs * * * * * * Coastal Erosion
Strategic overview of all sources of flood risk (and the coast)
*Please note RMAs have different responsibilities for reservoirs such as regulation, asset management and flood incident response
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Table 2 Roles and responsibilities of Risk Management Authorities and others involved in managing flood risk Risk Management Role and responsibilities Authorities Environment Agency The Environment Agency has a strategic overview of all sources of flooding and coastal erosion (rivers, the sea, groundwater, reservoirs and surface water). Permissive powers to manage flood risk from ‘main rivers’, the sea and reservoirs Can use enforcement powers to require landowners to take action to minimise flood risk to others. Lead Local Flood Authority LLFA. A county council or unitary council. Permissive powers to manage flood risk from surface water, ‘ordinary watercourses’ (non-main rivers) outside of internal drainage districts, and groundwater. Enforcement powers are similar to Environment Agency’s. LLFAs also manage the drainage on the majority of local highways. Water Companies United Utilities and Northumbrian Water manage the sewerage and water supply networks and any flood risk arising from them. They also manage flood risk to any critical infrastructure, such as water treatment plants and pumping stations. District Council By agreement with the upper tier Lead Local Flood Authority, the District Council may do some work to manage flood risk. District Councils are the Local Planning Authority. Maritime District Council As District Councils, but also manage coastal erosion. As many coastal defences protect against both erosion and flooding from the sea, these Councils often do both in urban areas. Navigation Authorities Canal and River Trust (CRT) manage the canal network throughout the river basin district. Although not a designated ‘Risk Management Authority’, CRT manages its network in a way that minimises risk of flooding. Riparian landowner The owner of land next to a watercourse usually owns the land to the middle of the river (unless property deeds show otherwise). This ‘riparian landowner’ is responsible for maintaining the watercourse to allow free flow. Highways England Highways England looks after the motorways and major A roads focussing on the most important national routes, while councils manage the roads serving local communities. Having information about the condition of drainage assets they hold a Drainage Data Management System (also known as HADDMS) to identify flooding issues and places at particular risk, including private property, supporting a risk based programme of drainage renewal works. Communities Individuals at risk from flooding, or having flooded, are encouraged to form a Flood Action Group or other Community Group as a focus for understanding the issues, considering improvement options and implementing solutions.
Non- RMA owners of flood Features and structures that have been designated as a flood defences defence cannot be altered, removed or replaced without the consent of the responsible authority. Page 15 of 87
Risk Management Role and responsibilities Authorities Reservoir owners In addition to their general duty of care for the public under common law, the owners of reservoirs with an above ground capacity of 25,000 cubic metres or more have a legal duty to have their reservoirs supervised and inspected regularly by experts, in order to prevent dam failures and the dangerous flooding that could result. Reservoir owners could fall into any of the above categories listed in the table.
Existing flood management schemes and properties protected Risk Management Authorities work in partnership with each other and communities to manage flood risk. The Flood Risk Management Plan sets out the measures to manage flood risk across the Solway Tweed river basin district. However, RMAs have been undertaking a range of activities to manage flood risk for many years. Details of these activities can be found in section Key Flood Risk Issues in the Solway Tweed River Basin District. In some parts of the Solway Tweed river basin district flood management schemes are in place to reduce flood risk. The Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning shows all flood defences built in the last five years to protect against river floods with a 1 per cent (1 in 100) chance of happening each year, or floods from the sea with a 0.5 per cent (1 in 200) chance of happening each year. It also shows some, but not all, older defences. Across the country Government is investing £2.3bn on 1,500 flood defence schemes over 2015 – 2021. Thousands of properties in the river basin district benefit from river flood risk management schemes, including homes and businesses in Penrith, Appleby, Longtown. Further schemes are ongoing or planned in the Solway Tweed river basin district. The Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire, set up in response to the December floods will bring together a wide range of organisations and communities to develop Flood Action Plans. These actions will complement the measures in the FRMP and the learning from this approach will be shared across the country. During December 2015 existing flood defences played an essential part in protecting thousands of homes with 12,500 benefitting during Storm Desmond and 10,900 during Storm Eva. This also provided vital time for homes and businesses to be evacuated as well as reducing the impacts. Additional temporary defences and pumps were deployed to reduce the risk to homes, businesses and infrastructure. A recovery programme of inspections and repairs to damaged defences was commenced as soon as water levels reduced. Supporting Communities that Remain at Risk is an Environment Agency project to pre-plan for the use of temporary defences. This project is a great opportunity to have prepared plans and equipment for more communities to maximise the use of the extra time flood forecasting investment has bought us in helping to protect them. Flood Risk Information The Solway Tweed Flood Risk Management Plan covers flood risk from rivers and the sea and reservoirs. The following section outlines flood risk classifications for the various sources. Flooding from rivers and the sea The maps and statistics within this plan relating to flooding from rivers and the sea are taken from the risk of flooding from rivers and the sea map. This map has been developed using the National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA). This is an assessment of flood risk for England and Wales produced using local data and expertise. It shows the chance of flooding from rivers and the sea (both along the open coast and tidal estuaries). The risk is presented as a likelihood (or chance) of flooding in any given year and divided into the following categories:
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High - greater than or equal to 1 in 30 (3.3%) chance in any given year Medium - less than 1 in 30 (3.3%) but greater than or equal to 1 in 100 (1%) chance in any given year Low - less than 1 in 100 (1%) but greater than or equal to 1 in 1000 (0.1%) chance in any given year Very low - less than 1 in 1000 (0.1%) chance in any given year.
The NaFRA takes flood defences and their condition into account and so describes the actual chance of flooding, rather than the chance if there were no defences present. Flood defences reduce the level of risk but don't completely remove it. In extreme weather they can be overtopped or fail if they are in poor condition. The NaFRA results can be used in conjunction with receptor data (number and type of properties and infrastructure) to estimate the consequences and economic damage associated with flooding from rivers and the sea. Flooding from reservoirs Reservoir flood risk maps show the area that could be flooded if a large reservoir were to fail and release the water it holds. A large reservoir is one that holds over 25,000 cubic metres. This is a worst case scenario. Flooding from surface water The maps and statistics contained in this plan are based on the Updated Flood Map for Surface water (UMfSW) published in December 2013.The UMfSW assesses a range of flooding scenarios (annual probability of flooding is shown in brackets):
High -1 in 30 (3.3%) Medium - 1 in 100 (1%) Low - 1 in 1000 (0.1%) For further information about how the statistics relating to surface water are generated please see Annex 3. The UMfSW replaced the ‘Areas Susceptible to Surface Water Flooding’ maps produced in 2010 by the Environment Agency.
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2 What is a Flood Risk Management Plan?
Flood risk management plans highlight the hazards and risks from rivers, the sea, surface water, groundwater and reservoirs and set out how RMAs will work together with communities to manage flood risk. What is the flood risk management plan for? Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) are produced every 6 years and describe the sources and risks of flooding within a river basin district and catchment. They also include information on how risk management authorities (RMAs) plan to work together with communities and businesses to manage and reduce flood risk. Over the 6 year planning cycle the FRMP will help promote a greater awareness and understanding of the risks of flooding, particularly in those communities at high risk, and encourage and enable householders, businesses and communities to take action to manage the risks. FRMPs along with River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) help all those involved in managing water to make decisions that are best for people and the environment. Why are flood risk management plans being prepared? This is the first cycle of implementing the Flood Risk Regulations 2009. As a result of this legislation, LLFAs must prepare FRMPs in Flood Risk Areas, where the risk of flooding from local flood risks is significant (as identified in Preliminary Flood Risk Assessments (PFRAs)) for instance from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. The Environment Agency is required to prepare FRMPs for all of England covering flooding from main rivers, the sea and reservoirs. Further information on what is a flood risk management plan can be found on the GOV.UK website.
Flood risk and coastal erosion management activities require careful planning to ensure that appropriate, sustainable, options are selected and that they are implemented properly. Actions should be planned effectively, for the long-term, and provide a clear picture of what will be done to manage risk and provide multiple benefits. This may include, for example, linking with other plans such as river basin management plans (RBMPs) and supporting biodiversity, habitat creation or improving water quality. The Environment Agency and LLFAs are developing FRMPs by drawing existing information together and building on existing Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management plans such as: Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs), Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) and Local Flood Risk Management Strategies (LFRMS) (see Figure 2). What the plan does The FRMP will help deliver the requirements of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy in England by setting out the measures to manage flood risk now and in the future. The FRMP will: Help develop and promote a better understanding of flood and coastal erosion risk Provide information about the economic and environmental benefits to inform decision makers Identify communities with the highest risk of flooding so that investment can be targeted at those in most need Measures in FRMPs do not all have secured funding and are not guaranteed to be implemented. Money is allocated to all RMA measures in the same way and is based on current Government policy that gives the highest priority to lives and homes.
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Planning Policy and Building National FCERM Policy (Defra) Regulations (DCLG) EU DIRECTIVES
Floods Directive Flood Risk Management Plans Local FCERM Strategies Water Framework Dir River Basin Catchment flood risk Management Plans and coastal erosion
management planning Strategic flood risk (CFMPs, SMPs) assessments Long term planning for Other relevant plans all sources of flood The planning risk & coastal erosion Surface Water system (local plans, Management Plans/ neighbourhood water level plans) management plans
Flood risk National FCERM assessments Strategy (England) Habitat Creation Programme
Sustainable Planning applications FCERM Schemes Infrastructure and decisions community management plans strategies / local strategic partnerships
Figure 2 Flood Risk Management Plans and their relationship to other planning initiatives (taken from the National Flood and Coastal Risk Management Strategy for England) Page 19 of 87
What types of flood risk are included in the flood risk management plan? The FRMP covers the flood risks that the RMAs are responsible for. The Environment Agency has worked in partnership with other RMAs to pool the information needed to develop the FRMP. Some RMAs have a statutory duty to produce a FRMP as they have areas designated as Flood Risk Areas. Local surface water risk information is only included where lead local flood authorities have a statutory duty to produce a FRMP or where they have volunteered information. Those that are included are detailed in Table 3 and Table 4. Areas of significant ‘local flood risk’ were identified from historic flood records and analysis of potential future flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. These ‘Flood Risk Areas’ were designated on the basis of there being at least 30,000 people in properties at risk of flooding, or 150 critical services (for example - schools, hospitals, nursing homes, power and water services). This was as shown by locally agreed surface water flood maps produced in 2010 by the Environment Agency and supplemented with data from Lead Local Flood Authorities where available
Table 3: Flood Risk Areas in Solway Tweed river basin district and LLFAs contributing to this FRMP
Flood Risk Area and voluntary information Lead Local Flood Authorities Flood Risk Areas There are no Flood Risk Areas in the Solway Tweed River Basin District Voluntary information Cumbria County Council, Northumberland County Council
Table 4 RMAs who have voluntarily provided information for the Solway Tweed FRMP
Voluntary information Organisation name Local Authorities Cumbria County Council, Northumberland County Council Water Company United Utilities
Find out more about flood risk management:
National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk- management-strategy-for-england
Flood Risk Management Plan Guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-risk-management-plan-guidance
Flood and Coastal Change https://www.gov.uk/topic/environmental-management/flooding-coastal-change
Interactive flood maps http://maps.environment- agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?ep=maptopics&lang=_e
SEPA http://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/flooding/ Page 20 of 87
Figure 3 Sources of flood risk information included in this FRMP
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3 How the plan has been developed
The approach to developing flood risk management plans In 2013 the Government agreed that the preferred approach to developing FRMPs would be for the Environment Agency to work in partnership with other RMAs, in particular LLFAs, to pool information to develop an overall plan for managing all sources of flood risk and coastal erosion. In preparing this FRMP, RMAs have built on relevant information from existing work (see Figure 2 and Table 3). Of particular importance are the Local Flood Risk Management Strategies developed by LLFAs. In drawing measures together, RMAs have revisited priorities and ensured that there is a shared understanding of the risks and how best they can be managed. The Environment Agency is co-ordinating the development of this FRMP with the RBMP so that there is an integrated approach to overall water management for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy. Tables 4 and 5 show the sources of FRMP information. These plans remain active. The future need for Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs) as the strategic plan for river and estuary flooding is being reviewed in 2015 and 2016. As with all of the plans listed in Table 5, all relevant actions have been brought together by FRMPs. This is the case with CFMP actions. Irrespective of the review, the actions will be being taken forward by the FRMP. The CFMP long term policies have not been carried forward.
Find out more
1 Interactive flood maps http://maps.environment- agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?ep=maptopics&lang=_e
2 River Basin District Maps https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/river-basin-districts-flood-risk-maps
Table 5 Sources of FRMP information according to flood risk Flood risk Existing plans and FRMP information Flooding from main rivers Catchment Flood Management Plans: Eden, Border Esk, Derwent, Till and Beamish Flooding from the sea and along estuaries Shoreline Management Plans: Great Ormes Head to Scotland , North West and North Wales Flooding from Reservoirs Reservoir Plans: Flood Risk Maps – English Catchments of Solway Tweed Flooding from surface water, Local Flood Risk Management Strategies: groundwater and ordinary watercourses Across the English catchments of the Solway Tweed river basin district the LLFAs, Cumbria County Council and Northumberland County Council, are working on developing their Local Page 22 of 87
Flood risk Existing plans and FRMP information Flood Risk Management Strategies. Full list in Annex 2.
Consultation and engagement Consultation and engagement on this FRMP helped improve, inform and shape the plan. By consulting others we believe we have reached a better final plan. National public consultation took place October 2014 – January 2015. A draft FRMP was circulated to the LLFAs in the Solway Tweed river basin district and to United Utilities and Northumberland Water, to allow them to provide any comments prior to a public consultation. The Liaison Panel for the Solway Tweed River Basin Management Plan was briefed as the FRMP developed. This panel represents a wide range of stakeholders for the key sectors and catchment partnerships including Local Councils, Water Company and agricultural and environmental interests. Panel members share information and views between the panel and their sector/wider partnership and vice-versa. Consultation document 12h: Consultation on the draft update to the flood risk management plans - summary response document. https://consult.environment- agency.gov.uk/portal/ho/flood/draft_frmp/consult?dm_i=1QGB,3R34C,KI58VF,DICTE,1 Consultation document 12i: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/update-to-the- draft-river-basin-management-plansm
Cross-Border Areas of the Solway-Tweed river basin district The Floods Directive requires reporting at a river basin district scale. There are therefore particular arrangements to ensure coordination for the river basin districts (river basin districts) which cross the border between England and Scotland (the Solway Tweed river basin district). This is addressed by the Flood Risk (Cross Border Areas) Regulations 2010 which amend the Flood Risk Regulations 2009 and, in the case of the Solway Tweed river basin district, establish the Cross Border Advisory Group. The Flood Risk (Cross Border Areas) Regulations establishes the Cross Border Map (see figure 3) which identifies the English and Scottish Cross Border Areas. The Rivers Esk and Sark flow in a southerly direction from Scotland across the border into England before entering the sea in the Solway Firth. At present there are no known significant cross border flood risk issues along these main rivers. The River Esk and its tributary the Liddel form the England Scotland border up to the border with Northumberland. At present there are no known cross border local flood risk issues. The River Till catchment covers the northern part of Northumberland and drains northerly to the River Tweed at Cornhill where the Scottish / England border runs along the centreline of the River Tweed. Legislative background to the delivery of the EU Floods Directive across the Scotland England Border The EU Floods Directive requires the co-ordination of flood risk management plans across river basin districts (river basin districts). The Directive’s requirements are implemented by the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009, the Flood Risk Regulations 2009 and the Flood Risk (Cross Border Areas) Regulations 2010.
The legislation and cross border arrangements set out: Page 23 of 87
to retain the English system in catchments entirely within the English part of the Solway Tweed river basin district; to apply the Scottish legislation to the Scottish part of the Solway Tweed River Basin District; to formalise cooperation in producing flood risk assessments, maps and plans between the Environment Agency and SEPA for the catchments that are shared between Scotland and England (the Cross Border Areas – see Annex 1) to establish the role of the Cross-Border Advisory Group
The approach to flood risk management planning in Scotland The approach to managing flood risk in Scotland differs to that in England. Flood risk management is delivered through SEPA at the strategic scale and the local authorities at the local scale.
SEPA’s Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA – referred to as the National Flood Risk Assessment) identified a number of areas vulnerable to flooding (Potentially Vulnerable Areas) for which plans need to be prepared. A map of these areas is shown here: http://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/flood_risk_management/
The plans prepared by SEPA to meet the requirements of the Floods Directive in Scotland are called Flood Risk Management Strategies. These are developed working with local authorities in 14 local plan districts (LPDs) across Scotland. A lead local authority for each of the 14 LPDs is then also responsible (under the FRM Scotland Act 2009) for preparing Local Flood Risk Management Plans to establish the delivery programme for the measures set out by SEPA in the Flood Risk Management Strategies. Further information on the flood risk management planning framework in Scotland is available here: http://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/flood_risk_management.aspx
What this has meant for the EU Floods Directive in the Solway Tweed River Basin The Cross Border Advisory Group and associated arrangements have enabled the implementation of the EU Floods Directive for the English side of the border by the Environment Agency in the form of the Solway Tweed FRMP (English catchments) and in the form of a Flood Risk Management Strategy (Scottish catchments) for those catchments north of the Scottish Border. It has also enabled the consideration of issues that may have existed across this boundary within what is known as the Cross Border Area (figure 3). Objective setting Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) contain objectives for managing flood risk. Objectives are a common set of goals agreed by risk management authorities. They state the main ways in which work is directed to make a difference and reduce flood risk. They cover people, the economy and the environment. The objectives are split into the 3 categories to help demonstrate the balance of objectives across the plans but the categories aren’t assigned a weighting in the FRMP. Objectives are used to plan and prioritise investment programmes to target investment to the most at risk communities. Prioritisation is then done at an England wide level and takes into account the risk but also considers other
Page 24 of 87 factors such as cost benefits, the level of investment to date and other aspects such as the potential for external funding opportunities. The Solway Tweed FRMP contains 2 sets of objectives, which outline the main areas where RMAs want to make improvements. One set of objectives applies for managing risk from rivers and the sea, and the other set is for managing risk from local sources of flood risk (surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourse). The objectives are found in Section 8. The objectives for the English Catchments of the Solway Tweed are based on the Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs) individual sets of Social / Economic / Environmental objectives, which were the flood risk plan that preceded this plan. These objectives were established through the CFMP engagement & consultation processes. They were set in partnership with the other risk management authorities and will guide our work. Six year investment programme In December 2014 the government set out a 6 year plan for investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management (2015/16 to 2020/21). The latest published figures show the current funding profile of each year and the published programme can be found here. Measures from the 6 year investment programme are included in this FRMP. Each year Risk Management Authorities (local councils, Internal Drainage Boards, highway authorities, and water and sewage companies) are invited to submit details of proposed FCERM capital works to the Environment Agency. These proposals are combined with Environment Agency proposed schemes to form a programme of work. Investment in FCERM is prioritised according to government policy, and in line with the government’s National FCERM Strategy and HM Treasury Green Book on economic appraisal. Government policy gives the highest priority to lives and homes and all FCERM schemes should at least have a benefit cost ratio greater than 1:1. All FCERM schemes are prioritised against a consistent set of criteria applied to all risk management authorities (RMAs). This ensures a fair distribution of government funding based on agreed priorities, principles and needs. FCERM schemes are normally funded with Flood Defence Grant in Aid from Defra, partnership funding and Local Flood Defence Levy raised by Regional Flood and Coastal Committees. FCERM schemes can also be funded through other private contributions and local funding sources. Where FCERM projects can help to regenerate an area and support economic growth, funding may also be available from other sources. This can include European Structural Investment Fund, Growth Fund through the Local Enterprise Partnership and Community Infrastructure Levy through Local Authorities. In addition to FDGiA for FCERM schemes, Internal Drainage Board activities are predominantly funded by the local beneficiaries of the water level management work they provide. Long term investment scenarios The Environment Agency’s long-term investment scenarios study published in December 2014, presents a new analysis of the costs and risks of flood and coastal erosion risk management in England. The study sets out the link between national investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management, and the outcomes in terms of economic risk and numbers of properties at risk. The study found that the annual economic ‘optimum’ investment need over the next 10 years is broadly in line with current expenditure (about £750 million, including public and third party contributions). The study shows that over the next 50 years optimal investment in FCERM is expected to rise by 10-20% (in present day terms). A key finding of the study is that even if average annual investment is sustained at an optimal level there will still be significant numbers of properties at high and medium flood risk in 50 years time meaning new and innovative approaches will be needed. LTIS estimates that, by 2021, the six year programme could reduce overall flood risk by up to 5% Page 25 of 87 on the assumption that planned capital, maintenance and incident management activities are maintained. The National Flood Resilience Review is considering infrastructure and future investment strategy across England to identify any gaps in the approach and to pinpoint where defences and modelling need strengthening. This will allow us to take prompt action.
Flood and coastal risk management and agriculture Land drainage for agricultural purposes is an important element of operational activity in flood and coastal erosion risk management. Today the prime driver for Government investment in flood and coastal management is one of risk reduction to people and property, and for the protection of the environment. Investment is prioritised according to Government policy, the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy and the HM Treasury Green Book on economic appraisal. Government policy gives the highest priority to lives and homes. Agricultural drainage and water level management work continues to be important particularly in low lying areas and this work is predominantly undertaken by farmers and landowners, and where they exist, Internal Drainage Boards. The work of Internal Drainage Boards through managing water levels and maintaining watercourses and structures can also manage and reduce flood risk to people, property and infrastructure. Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) was undertaken to consider the significant environmental effects of the flood risk management plan. We consulted Natural England, English Heritage and the Marine Management Organisation on the scope of the proposed assessment in December 2013, and the environmental report sets out the results of the SEA. The report describes the environmental effects that are significant within the river basin district and identifies measures to mitigate any adverse effects. Opportunities to improve the environment are also considered. The SEA took account of the environmental effects of flood risk management measures in the FRMP. The focus was on the combined effects of the programme of protection measures across a catchment or flood risk area, rather than individual measures at specific locations. Using the same assessment approach for both the RBMP and FRMP allows us to compare the environmental effects directly and consider the interaction between the two plans. The likely positive impacts of the FRMP are identified in the SEA, as well as mitigation required to manage the negative effects and opportunities to deliver greater environmental benefits. Indicators are also set out that indicate the effect of the plan on significant environmental receptors, taking advantage of existing monitoring that is already carried out by the Environment Agency and others. A Habitats Regulations assessment has been carried out on the FRMP to consider whether the plan affects designated sites (Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Ramsar sites). Initial assessment suggests that significant effects are not likely. How flood risk management plans have been co-ordinated with river basin management planning (RBMP) The Solway Tweed flood risk management plan has been developed alongside the Solway Tweed river basin management plan so that opportunities for flood risk improvements can integrate water and biodiversity objectives wherever possible and help provide other benefits to society. These benefits could include greater access to riversides, improved recreation and angling along rivers, more biodiversity and contributing to local council open space strategies. The Environment Agency has led on the development of both plans, and aims to co-ordinate work effectively and support others to do the same. Section 8 of this document provides more detail on how the flood risk management plans relate to other plans and wider policies and objectives. Page 26 of 87
Solway Tweed FRMP objectives have been developed through internal discussion and subsequently tested and validated by a FRMP and RBMP Strategic themes and integration workshop. Each river basin district has a Liaison Panel made up of representatives for the key sectors. Members bring their experience, knowledge and their sector views acting as a two-way channel between the panel and their sector.
Find out more
Solway Tweed River Basin Management Plan; http://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/river-basin-management-planning/second- cycle-development/
River Basin Management Plans
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/river-basin-management-plans-2015
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4 How to manage risk
Involving communities, leads to more effective flood and coastal erosion risk management. RMAs will continue to work with communities and other stakeholders to manage risk by: assessing the sources of flood risk and drawing conclusions about the risks setting out what RMAs are trying to achieve and establishing risk management objectives determining the best approach to achieving the objectives by identifying the right measures and prioritising them The conclusions, objectives and measures are set out within this FRMP. During the 6 year planning cycle (2015-2021) set out in the Flood Risk Regulations (2009) RMAs will work with partners and interested parties to: seek to secure the necessary funding, including from partners implement the measures, with clarity on what each organisation is accountable for monitor and review how the plan works RMAs will monitor, and report annually, on progress in implementing the measures set out in the FRMP. RMAs will continue to work in partnership, ensuring that they can maintain a forward look of prioritised proposals for managing flood risk. The next review of the FRMP under the Flood Risk Regulations will be completed by 2021. The Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire, set up in response to the December floods will bring together a wide range of organisations and communities to develop Flood Action Plans. These actions will complement the measures in the FRMP and the learning from this approach will be shared across the Country.
National flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England The national flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England (2011) provides the overarching framework for future action by all RMAs to tackle flooding and coastal erosion risk in England. The overall aim of the strategy is to ensure the risk of flooding and coastal erosion is properly managed by using the full range of options in a co- ordinated way. It encourages more effective risk management by enabling people, communities, business, infrastructure operators and the public sector to work together to:
ensure a clear understanding of the risks of flooding and coastal erosion, nationally and locally, so that investment in risk management can be prioritised more effectively; set out clear and consistent plans for risk management so that communities and businesses can make informed decisions about the management of the remaining risk; manage flood and coastal erosion risks in an appropriate way, taking account of the needs of communities and the environment; ensure that emergency plans and responses to flood incidents are effective and that communities are able to respond effectively to flood forecasts, warnings and advice; help communities to recover more quickly and effectively after incidents..
The strategy recognises that difficult decisions have to be taken on where activities can and can’t be carried out at both national and local levels. As such, 6 guiding principles have been identified to help guide these decisions and the processes by which they are taken. These guiding principles are: Page 28 of 87
Community focus and partnership working A catchment and coastal “cell” based approach Sustainability Proportionate, risk-based approaches Multiple benefits Beneficiaries should be encouraged to invest in risk management.
This FRMP has been developed to meet the legal requirements of the Flood Risk Regulations. In doing so, we have also taken into account the national flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for England, in particular its guiding principles. Measures for managing risk There are different approaches to managing flood and coastal erosion risk – these are known as measures and are described below: Preventing: by avoiding putting people or the environment at risk of flooding, for example, one way of preventing risks arising would be by not building homes in areas that can be flooded. Preparing: by taking actions that prepare people for flooding, for example, by improving awareness of flood risk, or by providing warning and forecasting for floods so that people can take precautions to safeguard their valuables. Protecting: by protecting people from the risk of flooding. For example, by the maintenance or refurbishment of existing defences or incorporating property resilience measures such as using waterproof boards over doors and airbricks to reduce the damaged caused by flood water. Recovery and review: by learning from when flooding happens and how to recover from it, for example, by improving the availability of recovery services such as providing temporary accommodation, after flooding has occurred. Flood and coastal erosion risk management may require a combination of the measures outlined above. FRMPs bring together measure from existing sources, particularly CFMPs, SMPs, local flood risk management strategies and the Medium Term Plan. The development and completion of these measures is often dependent on partnerships and the provision of funding. Flood risk management activities As identified by the national FCERM Strategy for England, managing flood risk and coastal erosion involves: knowing when and where flooding and coastal erosion are likely to happen; taking reasonable steps to reduce the likelihood of them happening; forecasting and providing warnings of floods so that people, businesses, infrastructure providers and public services can take effective action to minimise the consequences of floods, and adapting to coastal change and acting to reduce the risk to life, damage and disruption caused by flooding.
Ongoing RMA activities relating to flood and coastal risk management can be divided into the following activities.
Strategic planning
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Strategic planning enables RMAs to prioritise flood risk management activities and ensure that investment aligns with priority areas where the risk is greatest and ensure that the best value for money is achieved. It is vital that all RMAs continue to work in partnership to agree strategic planning to manage flood and coastal erosion risk across the river basin district, especially areas at risk from more than one sources of flooding. Investigations Following significant flooding, lead local flood authorities (LLFAs) will carry out and publish a flood investigation report (under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act). This will consider the source(s) of flooding, how the flooding occurred, the flood extent and depth, damage to property and estimate the severity of the flood. It will also identify which RMAs have relevant flood risk management functions, and whether they have exercised, or are proposing to exercise, those functions in response to the flood. The LLFA must publish the results of its investigation, and notify any RMAs. Hydraulic modelling and hydrology Hydraulic modelling is a process of simulating what happens to river levels during periods of heavy rain. Past flood events are used to support the models’ predictions and improve their accuracy. The RMAs use these models to predict where and when flooding is expected to occur and for how long, taking into account storm intensity and duration. This also informs decisions about how flood risk could be managed. For example, refurbish or improve existing assets, construct new assets, provide planning advice to local councils highlighting risk areas to avoid inappropriate development or provide flood warnings and flood incident management. Flood forecasting and warning In addition to the hydrology and hydraulic modelling, weather forecasts can be used to predict how river flows and levels are expected to respond to changes in weather. Rainfall and river levels provide data which informs the Environment Agency’s flood warning service and allows the issue of timely and accurate flood warnings. Computer models of weather and tide conditions predict tidal flood forecasts. Providing an accurate flood forecasting and warning service is critical in managing the consequences of flooding. Incident planning and management The Environment Agency, local councils, water companies, Emergency Services and other utility companies all plan for incidents of many types, including flooding. These plans inform how the RMAs work together to respond to an incident and inform more strategic Multi- Agency Response Plans. Incident management exercises are used to test and improve the planed procedures. Following flood incidents partners review the plans to further improve procedures and share data. Local Resilience Forums for each of the counties oversee the collective incident planning and response, these are: Cumbria Local Resilience Forum Cumbria Local Resilience forum Maintenance RMAs carry out regular inspections and maintenance of structures (raised defences, river channel walls, culverts, outfalls and flap valves, pumping stations and flood storage reservoirs) to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’. Clearance of some vegetation, sediment and debris from river channels and culverts is a key maintenance task, as this helps to provide enough capacity to convey flood flows. Similar activities are carried out for drains and sewers. Information from the Environment Agency assets inspections informs System Asset Management Plans (SAMPs) which are updated regularly to inform maintenance, funding requirements and asset condition. Other RMAs also maintain information relating to their assets, for example Asset Registers that are maintained by LLFAs or Asset Management Plans by the water companies.
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Improvement works The Environment Agency produce flood maps using models to shows where properties are at risk of flooding, or where flooding has happened. These maps help us to identify communities that are at risk of flooding. The Environment Agency, in partnership with other RMAs, works with these communities to look at options to reduce the risk of flooding. The Environment Agency coordinates a 6 year investment programme which prioritises investment to improve or create new defences. Development planning and control RMAs work together to avoid inappropriate development in the floodplain. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out government policy on new developments, which must be applied by local planning authorities when making land use planning decisions. The Environment Agency is a statutory consultee for planning applications except for minor developments in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea and large developments where flooding from rivers and the sea is very unlikely. Working in partnership as RMAs we advise developers on planning consultations in high risk areas. The final decision for development in the floodplain is made by the local planning authorities. Permitting decisions on development are an opportunity for the Local Planning Authority to integrate SuDS. Sustainable Drainage Systems Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are a way to manage surface water by reducing or delaying rainwater runoff. They aim to mimic the way rainfall drains naturally rather than conventional piped methods. This helps to manage flooding and reduce pollution and damage to the environment. Common types of SuDS are ponds which change in level with rainfall, swales (wide grass ditches), soakaways and permeable pavements (block paving, sometimes with gravel beneath). The approach to be adopted requires infiltration (allowing water to soak in to the ground) to be considered first, then attenuation (storing water at the top of the catchment) and discharge into a watercourse and only if these are impractical should attenuation with discharge to a sewer be considered. Retro-fitting of SuDS to existing buildings and land is also a way of reducing peak flows in drains/sewers and watercourses and so helping to reduce flooding and pollution. The Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), along with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), are reviewing SuDS, including how they will be maintained. Enforcement RMAs may take enforcement action against a riparian owner (owner of land adjacent to or over a watercourse) to repair their structure before a possible collapse which could lead to flooding. Enforcement action is also sometimes necessary to keep access alongside watercourses clear, so that the RMAs can do maintenance and other work. Working with Communities The risk management authorities work in partnership with communities to understand the community perspective of flooding and coastal erosion. The aim is to help communities understand and actively prepare for the risks, and encourage them to have direct involvement in decision-making. Flood Action Groups or other community groups become a clear focus for the community to bring together all the relevant information its residents and businesses may have. Working together to share knowledge, all relevant RMAs can work with communities on managing local risk. This becomes an opportunity for the RMAs to explain what steps they propose to take, talk about the likelihood of funding for any construction works, explore any other funding sources and advise residents and businesses what they can do to help themselves. It also gives the community the opportunity to shape the proposals.
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Partnership Working Managing flood and coastal risks and particularly local flood risks requires many organisations to work together in partnership. The main RMAs which work in this way are the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities, District Councils, United Utilities and Northumberland Water. Maritime District Councils also work with the Environment Agency and others to pursue solutions to coastal erosion and flooding. Partnership working allows organisations to pool expertise and resources to enable what they do to be as efficient and effective as possible. It encourages the sharing of knowledge, data and expertise and provides opportunities to manage cross boundary issues, ensure consistent approaches and develop and test innovative approaches to delivery. Government is also working to strengthen or establish partnerships in the areas most affected by the December 2015 floods to encourage a more integrated approach to managing risk across the whole catchment. The Local Floods Partnerships across Cumbria and Yorkshire, established after the December 2015 flooding, are a good example of this way of working. Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCC) were first established in 2011 following the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, replacing the former Regional Flood Defence Committees. The Northumbria RFCC is responsible for managing flood risk across some 9,029 sq km of North East England, which includes the English parts of the River Till and English Tweed Catchment. The North West RFCC covers some 6,569 km of designated main river, 298 km of estuary and 826 km of coastline. Committee Members are responsible for using their skills and experience to provide strategic advice, as well as contributing to the delivery of local flood risk plans and strategies by actively engaging with local communities, particularly to gain external views and financial contributions. The RFCC plays a key role in local funding and approving programmes of work that protect communities from flooding. The RFCC supports the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities in working with these communities and other partners to identify and bring in funding. The Environment Agency annually submits the Medium Term Plan to the RFCC, which contains the funding bids for the Environment Agency and LLFAs for the next 6 years. There is 1 Strategic Flood Risk Partnership Group covering the Solway Tweed river basin district: Cumbria: the County Council, District Councils, Environment Agency and United Utilities. All partnership groups are represented on the RFCC by Local Council Elected Members. There are also representatives from United Utilities and the North West England and North Wales Coastal Group (of Maritime District Councils). In addition to the above flood risk partnerships involving Risk Management Authorities, flood risk partnerships are informally formed through the Catchment Based Approach, encouraging the achievement of wider environmental outcomes. In the context of developing an integrated approach we will be looking to align the work of these partnerships with the other activity set out in this plan over the next six years.
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Regional Flood and Coastal Committee’s 2030 Vision The North West RFCC have developed a future vision to stretch and guide the work of the Environment Agency, other Risk Management Authorities and partner organisations. This has 5 themes:
RFCC 2030 Vision Conservation To combine flood risk reduction and habitat creation. The aim is to help develop a programme of projects that work with natural processes to help slow the flow of
water along river systems. This includes habitat creation as part of ‘slow the flow’ type projects, combining flood risk and habitat benefits. Sustainable To balance the role which land has for storing and filtering water, reducing flood Land risk and providing ecological benefits, with its importance to agricultural Management productivity, business and development.
Community To support community resilience as a cultural force in the Solway Tweed through Resilience increasing awareness of flood risk and encouraging emergency planning, adaptation and mitigation in at-risk communities.
Integrated To integrate our approach to managing the water environment at a river basin and Catchment catchment scale including flood risk, water quality and water resources through Planning partnership working and the implementation of innovative and sustainable interventions. RFCC and the River Basin Liaison Panel will jointly guide this work.
Sustainable To support sustainable economic growth by bringing together Strategic Economic Economic Plans and Flood and Coastal Risk Management Plans. Business will understand Growth the impacts of climate change to their operations and work with local communities and risk management authorities to find the right solution and finance to reduce
these risks.
The North West RFCC vision complements existing FCERM approaches and the work delivered by the six year investment programme. Catchment based approach Catchment partnerships are groups of organisations with an interest in improving the environment in the local area and are led by a catchment host organisation. The partnerships work on a wide range of issues, including the water environment but also address other concerns that are not directly related to river basin management planning. Government is also working to strengthen or establish partnerships in the areas most affected by the December 2015 floods to encourage a more integrated approach to managing risk across the whole catchment, and will look to build on the work of successful catchment partnerships. The National Resilience Review will align closely with Defra’s work on integrated catchment- level management of the water cycle in the Government’s 25 year Environment Plan. Government’s aspirations for the next cycle of planning (now to 2021) is for more integrated catchment planning for water, where Flood and Coastal Risk Management, River Basin Management, nature conservation and land management are considered together. Catchment Partnership group host Eden Eden Rivers Trust Tweed Tweed Forum
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Catchment Partnership group host Till Tweed Forum Waver and Wampool West Cumbria Rivers Trust
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5 Getting to know the Solway Tweed River Basin District
Introduction The Solway Tweed River Basin District is one of 11 river basin districts across England and Wales. The English catchments of the Solway Tweed cover 13160 km2 from Cumbria in the west to Northumberland in the east and southern Scotland to the north. The river basin district comprises 4 catchments (Figure 5). The catchments vary: some are in a more natural state, while others have been significantly altered by man, for example, to reduce the risk of flooding from rivers and the sea, and to drain the land for agriculture. Managing the water environment at a catchment scale promotes a holistic approach to the work we do and to engagement with many others. There are 4 management catchments within the English area of the Solway Tweed river basin district as shown in Figure 4. Eden and Esk Waver and Wampool Till English Tweed For the purposes of the FRMP, the Till and English Tweed management catchments have been combined.
Water There are 4 river catchments and 749 water bodies in the Solway Tweed. In 2012, 29% of surface water bodies (rivers, coastal waters, estuaries, canals, surface water transfers, reservoirs and lakes) are classified ‘good’ or better.
The River Till and Breamish covers an area of 794 Km2. The Eden catchment covers an area of 1158 Km2 and the Waver and Wampool catchment covers an area of 370 Km2.
The coastline extends a short distance north and south from Berwick upon Tweed.
The Till river restoration strategy is at the implementation stage- seeking to improve the condition of these SSSIs, which have been in decline due to physical modification and land use.
Physical modification of waterbodies has occurred throughout the catchment to reduce flood risk, improve land drainage and facilitate urban development.
The significant issues within the Eden and Esk and Waver and Wampool catchments are pollution from rural areas, pollution from waste water discharges, physical modifications to water bodies and invasive non-native species.
Measures to protect and improve water bodies have been identified as part of the plan. These include working with the agricultural sector to reduce diffuse pollution, improving waste water treatment, removing or adapting physical modifications to improve morphology and biodiversity and eradicating non-native species.
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The main water supplier in Eden and Esk and Waver and Wampool catchments, United Utilities, supplies water to some 6.9 million people and 0.2 million non-household customers in Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, most of Cheshire and a small part of Derbyshire. More than 90% of the water supplied comes from rivers and reservoirs, with the remainder from groundwater. This contrasts with the rest of England, where an average of only 60% is supplied from rivers and reservoirs. In the Till and English Tweed catchment the water company is Northumbrian Water Ltd. Flood risk management systems and drainage Flood Risk Management in Cumbria is delivered via a three tier system co-ordinated by the Strategic Group. This Strategic Group consists of representatives of all of the RMAs. It has the overview role and sets the direction of travel for flood risk management in the County. The middle tier is the management group which addresses more technical matters and acts as the intermediary between the operational and strategic groups. The operational tier is called the Making Space for Water Group (MSfWG). Each local council district has a MSfWG which is co-ordinated by the LLFA and made up of representatives from the RMAs who have experience of problems on the ground. This group seeks to address local flood risk issues and resolve these where it can via partnership working or via the lead organisations taking responsibility for a problem. In the event that problems and issues being considered by the MSfWG are beyond its scope then it will elevate these problems via the management group.
The idea of this 3 tier problem is that flood risk problems can be addressed via the partnership working approach at a local level or elevated upwards as the scale of the problem increases. The Strategic Group has the connection with the Regional Flood Coastal Committee (RFCC) and hence the funding opportunities that might be available to manage flood risk.
There has been some consideration of land management in upland areas for water quality, habitat and flood risk benefit – particularly on some of the Cumbria and Northumberland catchments. Research has concluded that land management change can reduce runoff at a local scale, but at a catchment scale this is harder to prove because of other variables such as seasonality, development within the catchment and climate change. Land management change options include: blocking up moorland grips/moorland restoration to soak up and hold back more water, wetland creation, leaky barriers and ponds to store runoff at source, afforestation to reduce runoff rates and setting back of some rural defences.
On-line flood storage basins have been built at Penrith, Wigton, and Lochnivar, Longtown. The flood storage basins are designed to reduce the peak flood flow passed downstream, spreading the overall volume passed downstream over a longer period.
Surface water drains are designed to 1 in 30 year standard, sewers the same (but often have less capacity than this) and the target standard of protection for rivers and the sea is 1 in 100/200 years.Drainage systems on new developments and retro-fitting to existing sites can contribute to sustainable development and improve urban design, by balancing the different issues that influence the development of communities. Approaches to manage surface water that take account of water quantity (flooding), water quality (pollution) and amenity issues are collectively referred to as Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). SuDS mimic nature and typically manage rainfall close to where it falls. SuDS can be designed to slow down (attenuate) before it enters streams, rivers and other watercourses. SuDS are technically regarded a sequence of management practices, control structures and strategies designed to efficiently and sustainably drain surface water, while minimising pollution and managing the impact on water quality of local water bodies.
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One option with sewer flood risk is to separate surface water out of existing combined sewers and discharge it into watercourses, but checks will be needed to avoid this creating new flooding problems and there may be a need for storage/attenuation. The Met Office confirmed that December 2015 was the wettest on record in parts of the UK, including Cumbria which experienced more than two and a half times expected monthly rainfall.
Figure 4 Overview of the Solway Tweed River Basin District
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Climate and climate change adaptation There is clear scientific evidence that global climate change is happening now. Over the past century sea levels have risen around England and more of the winter rain has fallen in intense wet spells. Climate change can affect flood risk in several ways and the impacts will vary depending on local conditions and vulnerability. Risk management authorities should consider climate change within the development of all plans. We already plan for climate change. We build climate change predictions in to the design of flood defence schemes to make sure that they are fit for the future. We will revisit this modelling after the record breaking wet weather experienced in December 2015. Wetter winters and more intense rainfall may increase river flooding and cause more surface runoff, increasing localised flooding and erosion. In turn, this may increase pressure on drains, sewers and water quality. Storm intensity in summer could increase even in drier summers, so RMAs need to be prepared for the extreme events. Rising sea or river levels may also increase local flood risk inland or away from major rivers because of interactions with drains, sewers and smaller watercourses. Even small rises in sea level could add to very high tides so as to affect places a long way inland. Lower emissions could reduce the amount of climate change further into the future, but changes are still projected at least as far ahead as the 2080s. UK Government’s Flood Foresight (2014) re-endorses the findings of the 2008 foresight work, stating that in general terms climate change is likely to increase river flood risks by 2080 by between 2 and 4 times, and coastal flood risk by 4 to 10 times. Increases in the frequency of flooding would affect people’s homes and wellbeing, especially for vulnerable groups. It is not possible to predict exactly how much change will happen or when. But in planning, a range of scenarios should be used for long term decisions to understand the potential range of impacts. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Planning Practice Guidance state that local planning authorities and developers should ensure development is appropriately flood resilient and resistant, safe for its users for the development’s lifetime and will not increase flood risk overall. The changing climate is expected to increase frequency, extent and impact of flooding and the need to adapt to it. This will be recognised by Local Planning Authorities, Lead Local Flood Authorities and the Environment Agency in exercising their Development Control roles as statutory consultees. The nature of the proposal, the site and the development’s lifetime will determine what level of resilience needs to be incorporated at the time of construction and what action(s) can be deferred to be incorporated at a later date should future adaptation be required. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires that new development is resilient to flooding for its lifetime, taking climate change into account. ‘Flood risk assessments: climate change allowances’ are the best available evidence on the likely impact of climate change on flood risk. By using this guidance for flood risk assessments and to inform the location of development and the design of associated flood risk management measures, it will help local authorities and developers comply with the NPPF. The indicative potential change in peak river flows, from a 1961-1990 baseline, in the Solway Tweed river basin district during the 21st century can be anticipated increase by 25% by the 2020s, 45% by the 2050s and 95% by the 2080s. These values are confirmed in evidence submitted by the Met Office Hadley Centre, with others, in October 2015 to the Adaptation Sub-Committee. That evidence will go to inform the UK's second Climate Change Risk Assessment in 2016, which will include an overview of flood risk on Infrastructure. The water-holding capacity of the atmosphere increases by about 7% for every 1°C rise in temperature and this is broadly reflected in the Environment Agency’s current climate change advice for potential changes in rainfall intensity. Currently, with the 'business as usual' emissions projection, average global temperatures would exceed 4C.
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For the Solway Tweed river basin district, from 1990 to 2025, an increase of 2.5mm/yr (mm per year) is expected. This rate is assumed to increase over time periods beyond this, to 7mm/yr in 2026-2050, 10mm/yr in 2051-2080 and 13mm/yr in 2081-2115. On this basis, the cumulative rise for the period 1990-2115 is 1.02 metres. Sea level rise is affected by 2 factors. The thermal expansion of sea water as temperature rises and the amount of water in the oceans increases as ice sheet and glaciers melt as a result of climate change. This is in combination with Isostatic rebound, the vertical movement or settling of land. The ice cap that covered the north and west of the UK melted, and retreated northwards, following the end of the last Ice Age around 12,000 years ago. The general trend is the northern and western parts of England and Scotland is lifting and south east of England is sinking. Of the 795 km of coastline from the Great Ormes Head to the Solway Firth, under Shoreline Management Planning, some 124 km have been identified for managed realignment by 2030. Although the eventual change in river flows and sea level rise may lie somewhere within the range of estimates provided, it is prudent to plan with the higher estimates in mind and to regard these as plausible. Different estimates can help to understand the scale and nature of risks and identify options to manage them. As we plan for flooding to be more widespread and frequent it will become more and more difficult to reduce its probability by means such as raised defences and flood storage. Emphasis may therefore need to shift to reducing the consequences of flooding by methods such as flood resistant and resilient construction and additional emergency planning measures. The FRMPs contain high level measures/ actions detailing how RMAs will: Incorporate climate change allowances into flood risk management works. Impacts from a changing climate will be considered in plans for location-specific works to reduce flood risk from all sources Identify where working with natural processes and natural flood management can help to reduce flood and coastal erosion risk and help towards communities becoming more resilient both adapt and become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Measures in the FRMP will complement the outputs of the National Flood Resilience Review. The National Resilience Review will assess how the country can be better protected from future flooding and increasingly extreme weather events. The review is looking at climate modelling, infrastructure, resilience and future investment strategy. Accounting for climate change reduces the risk of flooding and provides better levels of protection but we can never eradicate the risk of flooding entirely. Coastal erosion risk management The Environment Agency has the coastal Strategic Overview in England. The coastal overview joins up coastal management activities to ensure flooding and erosion risk is managed effectively. The overview encourages authorities to work together in partnership to achieve effective management of coastal flooding and erosion risks. Work to tackle coastal erosion is the responsibility of district or unitary councils. Local authorities have operational powers relating to managing coastal erosion under the Coast Protection Act 1949 and the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. Local Authorities lead on coastal risk management activities and undertake works on sea flooding and coastal erosion where they are best placed to do so. This is undertaken in collaboration with the Environment Agency. Shoreline Management plans are non-statutory, high level planning documents. They are large scale assessments of the risk associated with coastal processes, and a policy Page 39 of 87 framework to reduce these risks to people and the developed, historic and natural environment in a sustainable manner. They set the strategic direction for how the coast is wanted to be managed over the next 100 years. SMPs identify the most sustainable approaches to managing coastal erosion and flooding risks in the short, medium, and long term. During the development of Shoreline Management Plans, a range of partners and the public were extensively consulted and involved in the decision making processes. This FRMP also draws some coastal erosion information from the Shoreline Management Plan 2 (SMP2), however, the full Shoreline Management Plan has not been included in this FRMP. The SMP measures included in this FRMP are those that are most relevant for sea flooding and flood risk issues. You can access further information and the full SMPs here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shoreline-management-plans-smps/shoreline- management-plans-smps . SMPs remain the primary high level strategic planning documents on the coast, as they also contain information on coastal erosion risk management, and their content can be updated or changed using an established auditable process. These changes will be reflected in the FRMPs as they are updated on a six-yearly cycle. These changes may be prompted by changes in the evidence base guiding management decisions in SMPs, including evidence emerging from experience of the ongoing implementation of RBMPs. In this way, the Programme of Measures in RBMPs, the action plan and information in the FRMP, and the ‘living’ SMP documents should successfully inform and read-across to each other. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 established the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to produce marine plans, administer marine licensing and manage marine fisheries in English waters. It introduced marine planning in the UK through production of a marine policy statement and more detailed marine plans setting spatial policy at a more local level. Eleven marine plans covering English waters are anticipated by 2021. Marine plans will inform and guide marine users and regulators across England, managing the sustainable development of marine industries such as wind farms and fishing, alongside the need to conserve and protect marine species and habitats. At its landward extent, a marine plan will apply up to mean high water, including estuaries and the tidal extent of rivers. All public bodies making authorisation or enforcement decisions capable of affecting the marine area must do so in accordance with the Marine Policy Statement (MPS) or marine plans (where they are in place) or state reasons for not doing so. Marine licensing, administered by the MMO is the main environmental and development control system below high water. Further information can be found on the MMO web pages on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/marine-planning-in-england
Coastal Squeeze Flood risk and coastal erosion management measures, such as coastal flood defences, can have an impact on wetland and coastal environments and their conservation interest. As sea-levels rise, intertidal habitat in front of a flood defence can get squeezed and erode. It is therefore important that a long term plan and measures are in place to compensate for habitat losses. Measures can include habitat creation that offsets or replaces habitat losses. Risk Management and Coastal Authorities are encouraged to develop a strategic approach to the planning and delivery of any habitat creation measures that they anticipate will be required before seeking consent for plans or projects.
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Society and health The Solway Tweed river basin district has approximately 211,300 inhabitants. Agriculture and Tourism are the predominant significant economic activities. There are approximately 18,350 people at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea in the Solway Tweed river basin district, of which 16,500 are in the Eden and Esk catchment and 1,300 in the Waver and Wampool catchment. The Till and English Tweed catchments have the lowest risk at around 550 inhabitants at risk of flooding. Unemployment is slightly higher than the UK average with high unemployment rates in some urban areas. Life expectancy is higher than the national average with significant health index differences between those living in affluent areas and those living in areas of deprivation. Land use The Solway Tweed river basin district is predominantly rural with the majority of this land being managed for agriculture but large areas dedicated to commercial forestry plantations. Agricultural areas in the lowland parts of the catchment support good quality land used for arable and livestock farming. Upland areas support more extensive farming or may be managed for grouse or forestry.
Figure 5 Eamont Bridge
Reservoirs in the Pennine Fells and Lake District supply water for the densely populated urban areas outside of the Solway Tweed basin. There is evidence that woodland measures can reduce flood flows, particularly but not only within smaller catchments. Trees help reduce flood risk in a number of ways: greater water use by trees compared to other vegetation types reduces run-off and also creates greater capacity for woodland soils to absorb rainfall during flood events;
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higher infiltration rates of forest soils resulting from the extensive rooting systems of trees reduces run-off to watercourses and aids interception of overland flow from adjacent land; floodplain and riparian woodland can slow down flood flows, increase temporary storage and thereby delay the transfer of flood water downstream; soils under woodland are generally protected from erosion risk, reducing delivery of sediment to watercourses. Therefore, ‘woodland measures’ for flood risk reduction include both targeted woodland creation – in the right place and to the right design – and woodland management such as the installation of features such as large woody debris dams to reconnect watercourses with already wooded riparian zones and floodplains. The 2011 ‘Woodland for Water’ report detailed the evidence behind these conclusions. As a result opportunity mapping to be used to identify where in the country to target woodland measures to help reduce flood risk. Priority locations fall into three categories: Floodplains – where hydraulic roughness from woodland cover slows the flow and encourages the deposition of sediment; Riparian zones – to intercept overland flow, protect river banks from erosion, and help slow the flow of water; Wider catchment planting – to protect sensitive soils from erosion, increase infiltration rates, and intercept sediment in run-off from adjacent land. While opportunity maps can identify priority catchments where woodland creation and management can help reduce flood risk, it is important that woodland is located in the right part of the landscape and then designed and managed appropriately in order to maximise their contribution to reducing flood risk.
Land management and flooding The Environment Agency will work with many other organisations and within partnerships to consider the application of these methods and to develop programmes of them alongside more traditional solutions, such as building raised flood defences. Programmes will include the 6 year Investment Programme of Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authority projects. This more natural approach can reduce sediment volumes entering rivers, filter out contaminants and enhance habitats - see also ‘Flood Risk Management Plan contributing to broader benefits’ in section 8. Measures to ‘slow the flow’ of water in the Solway Tweed will focus mostly on minor watercourses upstream of ‘communities at risk’ and on less extreme flood frequencies. Individual measures will generally be small in scale but, taken together, many ‘run-off attenuation features’ in small catchments can combine to reduce peak flows in streams. Case studies across the UK have shown that the reduction in flow can be 5 to 10%, so ‘slow the flow’ work across the Solway Tweed will aim for this evidence backed reduction. The urban equivalents of slowing the flow are ‘green infrastructure’ and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) which have many of the same aims. Measures such as wetlands can be either small or large and might be more applicable to lowland areas with flatter topography. Ponds, swales and tree planting are just as applicable on urban fringes as less populated areas, and often aim to reduce rates of surface water runoff. A good example is separating out surface water from combined sewers and attenuating it in flood conditions using ponds in parks. When applied to developments they have an important role in delivering multiple benefits including reduction of flood risk and improvements to water quality. They also conserve and benefit biodiversity and help with climate change adaptation (eg. urban heat island effect). Page 42 of 87
Economic activity Cumbria has a strong manufacturing sector supplying 1 in 6 jobs compared with 1 in 11 at national level. The key factor which makes the difference is the substantial volume of employment in the nuclear industry at Sellafield (estimated at around 10,000-10,500). If this element were removed from the calculation then manufacturing would account for around 12 per cent of jobs in the county, which is more comparable to the regional and national averages. Cumbria has a significantly higher proportion of people employed in the construction and hotels and restaurants sectors. The county’s status as a major tourist destination help to explains the second finding. Cumbria has significant under-representation in financial and business service sectors. As elsewhere, Cumbria has the usual array of local businesses / branches in these sectors. Cumbria also has under-representation in public administration and in education, because Cumbria has not, historically, had a strong presence in higher education. Agriculture also forms an important part of the local economy. Berwick-upon-Tweed is the largest town in the Till and English Tweed area of which slightly more than 60% of the population is employed in the service sector, including shops, hotels and catering, financial services and most government activity, including health care. This is lower than the national average of approximately 75%. Over 10% of the population are employed in the tourism industry which contributes an estimated £1 billion to the regional economy. Employment in the main traditional activities of agriculture, forestry and fishing is four times the national average and also makes a significant contribution to the local economy. Some current and recent Berwick-upon-Tweed economic activities include salmon fishing, shipbuilding, engineering, sawmilling, fertilizer production, and the manufacture of tweed and hosiery1.
Commercial gravel extraction has been conducted throughout the Till and Breamish valley to supply local and regional needs. On the south of the Tweed estuary is the port of Tweedmouth. This port is used to export diverse goods, but especially grain and roadstone.
Recreation and tourism Tourism within the Till and English Tweed area is focussed mainly on the ‘day tripper’ sector of the market. However, there are a number of caravan sites within the area from which visitors can explore attractions within the local area and the wider Northumbrian region. Northumberland National Park and the historic town of Berwick-upon-Tweed attract a large number of visitors. Along many of the watercourses, walking, fishing/angling and cycling are important recreational activities. There is a network of public footpaths allowing access to the River Till and its tributaries and the lower Tweed. Some reaches of the River Till are also used for canoeing. This creates local employment in a large number of related services. The rich environmental and cultural heritage of the area attracts many people to the area. There are numerous campsites and caravan parks in the area which increases the population on a seasonal basis.
Tourism, either directly or indirectly, employs approximately 47,000 people within Cumbria; approximately 25%of the eligible workforce. Tourism is therefore very important to the whole county, contributing 18 per cent of its economic output. Although the majority of tourism occurs within South Lakeland and the Lake District National Park, almost a quarter (22%) of tourism revenue is generated within the Carlisle and Eden District boundaries.
1 www.visionofbritain.org.uk
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The importance and diversity of fisheries in the area is reflected by the popularity of angling in the area. Many of the rivers in the Eden and Esk area are of high or very high quality for salmon and sea trout fishing. The River Eden is consistently amongst the best salmon fishing rivers nationally and many of the other rivers contribute by providing important spawning grounds for both salmon and trout. Hill walking is a particular attraction of the Lake District National Park, and a number of well known fells are within the Eden catchment including Skiddaw, Helvellyn and High Street. Ullswater is also a popular tourist attraction drawing many people to the area for water based activities, outward bounds or just for the scenery alone.
There are several long-distance walks and cycle ways that cross the area, including the Cumbria Way and Coast-to-Coast walks and the Sea to Sea (C2C) cycle route. Canoeing and kayaking are popular, especially on the main River Eden and at high flows on many of the tributaries. Infrastructure Infrastructure includes strategic road and rail routes, such as the A1, M6 and East and West Coast mainlines. There are ports at Tweedmouth and Silloth exporting predominantly grain and road stone.
There are approximately 75 km of flood defences within the Till catchment, protecting large rural areas. Only around 3% of these defences protect urban areas in the Till catchment. There are 63 km of flood defences within the Eden catchment. Although there are significant lengths of embankments and walls through Carlisle and Appleby there also extensive rural areas of floodplain that are protected by flood embankments.
Infrastructure at risk from flooding including sewage treatment works, electricity substations, railway lines and roads. Within the rural communities, over 75 km2 of agricultural land is also at risk from flooding with a 1% (100 yr) chance of annual occurrence within the Eden catchment. Landscape The upper reaches of the Eden catchment are dominated by the steep gradients of Helvellyn and surrounding fells. The lower reaches are characterised by wide, shallow valleys. Ground elevations exceed 950m at the upstream extents of the catchment and remain high along the catchment boundary. Many tributaries are steep contributing to a rapid run-off and resulting in water levels rising quickly after rainfall. The Eden channel is steeply graded upstream of Kirkby Stephen. Below Kirkby Stephen, the Eden’s glaciated valley widens and the channel gradient reflects this change as the River Eden traverses along the valley floor. From Appleby, the Eden continues through the lowland valley to Carlisle. This section of the Eden forms wide floodplains and washlands. These areas are important in providing storage capacity during high water events.
The landscape of the coastal plain of the Waver and Wampool catchment consists mainly of improved pasture land. Some semi-natural grasslands occur in low lying areas adjacent to streams or watercourses. A lack of woodland management has resulted in the decline of broadleaved woodland cover with just limited blocks of mixed or conifer plantations established as shelter belts. The coastal dunes, salt marshes, intertidal flats, wetlands and mires are ecologically important.
Both Cumbria and Northumberland have an extensive rights of way network, with many located next to rivers and along the coast.
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The river basin district is home to the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the North Pennines AONB, the Solway Firth AONB, the Northumberland national park and the north eastern part of the Lake District National Park.
The Solway Tweed River Basin District contains a diverse range of landscapes, very few of which have not been altered through human intervention. As an example, an estimated 98% of peat bogs have been lost in the region. Artificial water bodies such as reservoirs form a strong component of landscapes in parts of the river basin district.
There are 1000s of areas of discrete Forestry Commission woodland, the largest of which are in the western parts of the Wark Forest area on Scottish borders. Significant areas of the Solway Tweed are covered by ancient semi-natural woodlands.
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Figure 6 Topographic map of the Solway Tweed part River Basin District
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Biodiversity The Solway Tweed River basin contains important wetland and intertidal habitats (Solway Firth SAC RAMSAR). In addition to large areas of intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh, the Solway Tweed also contains a number of England’s remaining blanket bog and lowland raised bog (South Solway Mosses SAC).
The Solway Tweed also contains a number of designated rivers and open waters and a number of the major lakes and larger tarns of the Lake District are Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The Eden Catchment is of high environmental significance with several sites of European importance, including the Eden and its tributaries the Upper Solway Flats & Marshes SAC. Thirty per cent of the area lies within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) with a further 30% cent designated as landscape of county importance. A significant part of the area lies within the Lake District National Park.
Approximately 5 per cent of the Esk catchment is either nationally or internationally designated, and 15 per cent is designated as Landscape of County Importance.
Water bodies and wetland areas within the river basin district support a number of protected species (such as Otters and Water Voles) and priority species listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (such as freshwater White-clawed Crayfish).
Invasive species are present in many of the catchments across the river basin district, in particular Japanese Knotweed, Floating Pennywort, Himalayan Balsam, Signal Crayfish, Mink and Giant Hogweed. Invasive species out-compete native vegetation and compromise habitats which other aquatic or semi-aquatic wildlife rely on and cause bank erosion.
Within the Till and English Tweed catchment there are 205 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), 3 Special Protection Areas (SPA) and 3 Ramsar Sites, with some of these sites dependent on water quality and / or geomorphological processes The River Tweed and its tributaries are one of the UKs most important salmonid fisheries.
There are 5 SACs in the Till and English Tweed area. These are the River Tweed, Ford Moss, Tweed Estuary, North Northumberland Dunes, and Berwick and North Northumberland Coast. In total SACs cover an area of 702 Km² of which, 8.8 Km² falls within the Till and English Tweed catchment area. The most important environmental designation within the Till and English Tweed area is the River Tweed SAC. This includes the entire River Tweed and the tributaries of the River Breamish, River Till, River Glen and Wooler Water. Cultural heritage Both Northumberland and Cumbria are culturally rich. There is one World Heritage Site within the Solway Tweed River basin - Hadrian's Wall. There are 907 scheduled ancient monuments, 5 registered historic parks and gardens and 4 registered battlefields. Many listed buildings and structures associated with past water uses, such as Mills and Weirs. Many riverside communities are within conservation areas, such as Berwick, Tweedmouth and Wooler.
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Geology Eden and Esk At the upstream end of the catchment, Millstone Grit is particularly characteristic of the higher moorland areas. From Kirkby Stephen to Carlisle, the valley floor is dominated by sandstone and mudstones to the western side of the Eden and limestone’s of the Carboniferous series to the east and around Carlisle, forming an extensive outcrop. There are numerous streams on the face of the steep scarp slopes bordering the south and east of the catchment. The impermeable nature of the sandstones promotes rapid run-off and short response times for peak flows to occur on the River Eden. The area downstream of and to the west of Carlisle is of low relief and underlain by mudstone of the Mercia, Permo-Triassic and Lias, Jurassic ages. Neither of these is considered to be an aquifer.
In the western area, contributing to the River Eamont flows, the high ground is dominated by altered metamorphic rocks and slate. These are both hard and impermeable and promote rapid run-off to receiving watercourses below. This area supports the two large lakes of Ullswater and Haweswater, offering some attenuation of flow from the upper reaches of the catchment. The geology and hydrogeology of the catchment combine with the topography resulting in rivers with water levels that rise quickly after rainfall. A short response to rainfall leads to a rapid increase in river levels. Flood warnings are also short and flooding can be sudden. This can result in flooding where rivers are restricted and there is a lack of capacity.
At the western end of the catchment, the bedrock geology is formed of sandstones and mudstones. Where the bedrock is formed of sandstone in the west of the catchment, it is a principal aquifer. There are two regionally important geological sites in the area at Arthuret Howes, which is the site of an esker, and at Cliff Bridge near Kirklinton, the top of the St Bees sandstone is exposed.
To the east, the bedrock is a mixture of limestone, sandstones and mudstone. In the far east of the catchment near to Bewcastle some of the bedrock is exposed at Ashycleugh Burn and Bullcleugh Quarry, these are regionally important sites of geological interest as they expose areas of the Cambeck and Bewdale Beds. The superficial geology of the catchment is dominated by till left after the retreat of the glaciers after the last ice age. There are areas of fluvial deposits in the west of the catchment and areas of peat on the Pennines in the east. Solway Moss and Bolton Fell Moss are substantial areas of raised peat bog that are currently being worked, these bogs now form part of the last surviving 5% of lowland raised bog in England. Waver and Wampool Although the solid rocks of the area have a major influence on the landscape, the effects of glaciation during the last ice age are extremely important. Glaciers scoured ‘U’-shaped valleys and over deepened the valley floors to produce basins which are today occupied by the lakes. Glacial erosion of comparatively weak rock to the north of the catchment produced land of relatively low relief which today forms the Solway Basin through which the Rivers Waver and Wampool flow out to the sea. Till and English Tweed The geology ranges from hard granite rocks in the Cheviots to younger carboniferous rocks and glacial/alluvial deposits in the valley lowlands. Along the fringes of the Cheviots, the impermeable granite plateau of the upper Cheviots gives way to steep sided valleys of andesitic and basaltic lavas formed around 400 million years ago. These impermeable lavas are overlain in some places by glacial material deposited during the last Ice Age. Granite, andesitic and basalt are igneous rocks which are impermeable to water such that water cannot soak into the rock. Therefore a large proportion of water will run-off these igneous rocks which could lead to a high potential of flooding. The Till and English Tweed valley Page 48 of 87 lowlands are underlain by carboniferous rocks composed of inter-bedded sandstone, shale and limestone. The oldest rocks are cement stones, followed by fell limestone, Scremerston coal group, and then carboniferous limestone groups. These are all sedimentary rocks which are porous or permeable to water so water can soak into the rocks. Since water can soak into these sedimentary rocks a small proportion of water will run-off these rocks, meaning that the potential for flooding is low in these lowland areas. Soil Two main soil types predominate within the Eden and Esk catchments; well drained permeable sandy or loamy soils in the area of the River Eden and a band to the west which is mainly clayey or loamy over clayey soils with the possibility of an impermeable layer at shallow depth.
In the Cheviot uplands, soils are generally thick, waterlogged peat on gentle slopes and shallow peaty soils on the steeper slopes. These poorly drained soils support heather moorland and favour rapid rates of surface runoff.
Throughout most of the Till valley lowlands, soils are deep, well-drained loam and sand. Given the relatively flat topography in this area, these soils have the potential to store large volumes of water. This area is therefore unlikely to make a major contribution to surface runoff. In the lower reaches of the Till valley and throughout the Tweed lowland, soils are deep fine loam and clay. These dense soils have the potential to become seasonally waterlogged and therefore encourage surface flooding.
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6 Key Flood Risk Issues in the Solway Tweed River Basin District
The following maps and statistics illustrate the broad scale of flood risk across the river basin district. You can see this information in more detail at the links below. In parallel to flood risk management planning, the Environment Agency is producing river basin plans in relation to water quality and quantity across England. You can consider the pressures on the water environment and what plans are proposed using the links below.
Find out more
3 Interactive flood maps for flooding from rivers, the sea, reservoirs and surface water http://watermaps.environment- agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiyby.aspx?lang=_e&topic=floodmap&layer#x=357683&y=35 5134&scale=2 4 Solway Tweed RBMP http://www.sepa.org.uk/environment/water/river-basin-management- planning/second-cycle-development/ 5 Current Ecological and Chemical Status of Water Bodies http://maps.environment- agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?x=357683&y=355134&scale=1&layerGroups =default&ep=map&textonly=off&lang=_e&topic=wfd_rivers#x=466704&y=403302&l g=1,7,8,9,5,6,&scale=3 6 The Environment Agency maintenance programme for rives and sea https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/river-and-coastal-maintenance- programme
The Eden and Esk catchment has two significant river systems; the Esk and the Eden. The main flood risk on the Eden catchment is at Carlisle and Appleby, Eamont Bridge on the River Eamont and in Penrith on Thacka Beck. On the Esk it is Longtown where there is also a risk of tidal flooding. Elsewhere there could be localised flooding problems almost anywhere in the catchment due to the topography and high rainfall totals experienced.
The main risk area in the Waver and Wampool catchment is Wigton which floods from Wiza Beck, Black Beck and Speet Gill. Communities along the coastline of the catchment are at risk of flooding from the sea. Properties at Silloth & Skinburness, Kirkbride and Anthorn have flooded historically.
Historic agricultural land improvement works have seen extensive watercourse modification and the construction of pumped drainage schemes in certain parts of the catchment to alleviate flooding of land. These schemes are supported by a programme of annual maintenance works carried out by the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is
Page 50 of 87 aiming to withdraw from land drainage works that serve no wider flood risk benefit; it is working with the community to manage its withdrawal from this land drainage work.
The area has ageing sewers and drains, many dating from the Victorian era. This now poses particular problems, as significant proportions of flood risk management and drainage infrastructure show evidence of deterioration.
There are many culverts on the main rivers. We take a risk-based approach to their inspection and repair and we take enforcement action to remedy defects. Significant resources are needed to clear blockages during flooding incidents. Where culverts are no longer required we will influence land owners and Local Planning Authorities to seek their removal.
In the Till and English Tweed catchments flood risk is widely spread with small numbers of isolated areas at risk, although the Wooler area has historic flooding with other small areas of flood risk being around Powburn, Kirknewton and Norham.
The Environment Agency target resources where flood risk to people and property is highest. In these places, our priority is to minimise or manage flood hazard to people and flood damage to property. Elsewhere, the Environment Agency may be unable to do as much as it has historically. Groundwater is not generally a significant source of flooding in the river basin district.
Few catastrophic reservoir failures have occurred in the UK and there has been no loss of life due to dam disasters here since 1925. Since then, however, there have been failures involving the breaching of embankments. Areas which could be inundated by a reservoir failure are shown on maps available on the website gov.uk. This type of incident has a very low probability of occurring, but high consequences if it did so. Flood History
In December 2015 several thousand homes and businesses were inundated with floodwater across Cumbria and Northumbria. The resulting widespread damage to infrastructure also had serious impacts for the local economy. The Solway Tweed catchment experienced prolonged periods of rainfall brought by Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank. The long duration of Storm Desmond in early December (~38 hours) generated exceptionally large rainfall accumulations over the Cumbrian Fells in particular; with an event total of 405.2mm at Thirlmere St John’s on the edge of the Solway Tweed. Many river gauges observed exceptionally high flows with one of the largest being recorded on the River Eden of approximately 1,700 cubic metres per second.
Across the country over 19,000 homes were flooded, with thousands more affected by loss of power supply and travel disruption. Existing flood defences played an essential part in protecting thousands of homes during December with 12,500 benefitting during Storm Desmond and 10,900 during Storm Eva.
Many communities in Cumbria were flooded including approximately 6,140 properties, some several times. Thousands of homes across Cumbria and Northumbria were also left without power. Three lives were lost during the storms and many roads and rail links were affected, including the West Coast Main Line. A number of bridges were swept away by floodwater, including Pooley Bridge, Ullswater, built in 1764 and Hartsop Bridge near Glenridding which suffered excessive damage. Schools and hospitals were closed in the flood affected areas and rural land was flooded affecting farming and livestock. Residents were evacuated by
Page 51 of 87 emergency services in a number of affected locations. Error! Reference source not found. details communities affected.
In January 2005, over 1,800 properties flooded in Carlisle which resulted in the construction of the Carlisle Flood Alleviation Scheme which includes around 9 kilometres of new and improved flood defences.
The largest recorded flood event in Appleby prior to 2015 occurred in January 2005. The River Eden experienced 1 in 100 year (1%) chance flood, causing severe flooding to approximately 30 residential and business properties along The Sands.
In addition to the 2015 floods Eamont Bridge has suffered two major recent flood events. Flooding in November 2009 was previously the largest flood in living memory with over 40 properties flooded. Following this a pilot project was put in place to carry out individual property protection measures in the areas affected.
Flooding in Wigton occurred in January 2005, 22 properties were flooded from the Wiza Beck and Speet Gill including critical infrastructure, a school, fire station, electricity substation, and roads, as well as residential properties. The EA and partners are investigating how to manage the flood risk to the town, to date the EA has constructed a flood storage basin on Wiza Beck.
Historically flooding on the Till and English Tweed catchments has affected mainly agricultural areas. The largest recorded flooding prior to 2015 was the Great Border Floods of 1948 which flooded properties in Kirknewton, Wooler, Powburn, Whiteadder Bridge, Norham and Tweedmouth. In recent years, flooding in 2008 damaged floodbanks and flooded properties in Kirknewton.
Table 6 Historical flood events affecting 30 or more properties in a single location. Number of properties affected shown in ( )
Coastal and Tidal Floods: February 1997 Dispersed locations along the Cumbrian coast, Lancashire coast (~100) Fluvial Floods (from ‘main river’): 2015 (Correct as Carlisle (1962), Low Crosby and Crosby-on-Eden (80), Rickerby (40), at January 2016 Warwick Bridge (30), Appleby (174), Eamont Bridge and Brougham and includes (101) some properties Note that many more communities suffered flooding to fewer than the flooded by 30 property threshold adopted above. surface water)
2009 Eamont Bridge (~40) 2008 Kirknewton 2005 Appleby (~30) January 2005 Carlisle (>1,800) January 2005 Wigton (22) 1948 Kirknewton, Wooler, Powburn, Whiteadder Bridge, Norham and
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Tweedmouth
Figure 7 Flooding in Carlisle in December 2015
Flood Risk from Rivers and the Sea Managing flood risk in less populated areas The Environment Agency’s flood risk management work is focused where each pound of public money spent can provide the greatest amount of economic benefit. Hence, river maintenance work and capital improvement schemes are targeted in more populated areas where flood risk is greater to people and property. Internal Drainage Boards are organisations which are jointly funded by landowners and others to manage drainage of land and operation of pumping stations to benefit agricultural productivity. Currently there are no Internal Drainage Boards in the Solway Tweed. The Environment Agency’s role is under review on a case by case basis in some catchments where agriculture is a high priority, such as the Waver and Wampool catchment in Cumbria. The Environment Agency is in the process of implementing a withdrawal strategy to achieve spending reductions for the Waver and Wampool catchment from the end of 2015; this includes withdrawing from the operation of four pumping stations at Lesson Hall, Gamelsby, Rumbling Bridge and Wolsty. Managing flood risk in urban areas Our larger settlements have resulted in many man-made structures affecting the river environment, from river channel retaining walls, to weirs and culverts. These structures are as prevalent in our towns and suburbs as they are in the large cities, though the cities also have some ‘hidden watercourses’, the locations of which are not always properly known. Coastal and tidal flood risk
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The Solway coast is generally low-lying with intertidal mudflats and extensive salt marsh and sand dune habitats, wide sandy beaches and spectacular views across estuaries and bays. In contrast there are also areas of vegetated shingle on the Cumbrian coast. The coastline is highly dynamic with a tidal range of around 10 metres. On the North East coast only a small area of coastline is included within the river basin district. There is a small flood risk associated with tidal flooding in Berwick and Tweedmouth.
There are also many smaller communities at risk of coastal flooding. Many of these have raised defences to protect against tidal flooding. In these locations the natural ground is quite flat and the floor levels of many properties are such that they would flood were it not for the sea defences that protect them. Many of these also protect against coastal erosion too.
Table 7 Summary of flood risk to people, economic activity and the natural and historic environment across the Solway Tweed river basin district. River & Sea Total in High risk Medium Low risk Very low river risk risk basin district Risk to people: Number of people in river basin district: 211,300 1,800 1,950 14,550 <50 Number of services: 740 20 20 40 0
Risk to economic activity:
Number of non-residential properties: 62,800 1,150 1,300 3,350 <50 Number of airports: 0 0 0 0 0 Length of roads (km): 400 <10 <10 10 <10 Length of railway (km): 210 <10 <10 <10 <10 Agricultural land (ha): 170,900 9,750 5,150 4,650 <50
Risk to the natural and historic environment: Number of EU designated bathing 1 1 0 0 0 waters within 50m: Number of EPR installations within 38 1 3 2 0 50m: Area of SAC within river basin district 69,650 6,400 650 650 <50 (ha): Area of SPA within river basin district 46,900 3,750 500 500 <50 (ha): Area of RAMSAR site within river basin 34,600 3,700 500 450 <50 district (ha): Area of World Heritage Site within river 20,000 4,100 750 1,400 <50 basin district (ha): Area of SSSI within river basin district 57,500 6,800 800 700 <50 (ha): Area of Parks and Gardens within river 1,500 50 50 50 0 basin district (ha): Area of Scheduled Ancient Monument 2,500 <50 <50 <50 <50 within river basin district (ha): Number of Listed Buildings within river 4,030 190 80 300 <10 basin district: Page 54 of 87
River & Sea Total in High risk Medium Low risk Very low river risk risk basin district Number of Licensed water abstractions within the river basin district: 330 40 10 10 0
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Figure 8 Flooding from rivers and the sea- Risk to people
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Figure 9 Flooding from rivers and the sea- Risk to the Natural and Historic Environment Page 57 of 87
Figure 10 Flooding from rivers and the sea- Risk to Economic Activity Page 58 of 87
Flood risk from reservoirs The Environment Agency regulates large raised reservoirs with regard to flood risk and provides guidance to reservoir ‘undertakers’ to help them manage their asset. Enforcement action may then be taken to seek improvements in some circumstances. The ‘flood risk map for reservoirs’ for the Solway Tweed river basin district, which can be found on the gov.uk website, shows what is at risk, including people, economic activity and the environment. There are 15 large raised reservoirs with the potential to flood areas of the Solway Tweed river basin district, although not all are located within the river basin district. The statistics and maps below illustrate the extent of reservoir flood risk across the Solway Tweed river basin district.
Table 8 Summary flood risk from reservoirs to people, economic activity and the natural and historic environment across the Solway Tweed river basin district.
Reservoirs Total in river basin Maximum extent district of flooding Risk to people: Number of people in river basin district: 211,300 15,200 Number of services: 740 40
Risk to economic activity: Number of non-residential properties: 62,790 2,520 Number of airports: 0 0 Length of roads (km): 400 20 Length of railway (km): 210 <10 Agricultural land (ha): 170,900 5100
Risk to the natural and historic environment: Number of EU designated bathing waters within 50m: 1 0 Number of EPR installations within 50m: 38 1 Area of SAC within river basin district (ha): 69,650 3,000 Area of SPA within river basin district (ha): 46,900 1,950 Area of RAMSAR site within river basin district (ha): 34,600 1,950 Area of World Heritage Site within river basin district (ha): 20,000 2,750 Area of SSSI within river basin district (ha): 57,500 3,100 Area of Parks and Gardens within river basin district (ha): 1,500 100 Area of Scheduled Ancient Monument within river basin 2,500 50 district (ha): Number of Listed Buildings within river basin district: 4,030 250 Number of Licensed water abstractions within the river 330 20 basin district:
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Figure 11 Reservoir flood risk - Risk to people
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Figure 12 Reservoir flood risk - Risk to Natural and Historic Environment
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Figure 13 Reservoir flood risk - Risk to Economic Activity
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Flood risk from surface water Lead Local Flood Authorities are responsible for managing the risk of flooding from surface water, defined as rainwater on the ground surface that hasn’t entered a watercourse, drain or sewer. This type of flooding can begin to occur within minutes of intense rain, so it is almost impossible to forecast for. Problems can quickly occur in several places, and although these might be over a small area, a Local Council’s resources can quickly become stretched. It is good practice to plan for drains and watercourses becoming overwhelmed in a flood, such as by analysing the flow paths that floodwater may take. Once these are known, steps can be taken to ensure they are kept free from obstructions such as buildings and to consider whether roads and open space can be used to safely channel water away. Surface water flooding is a problem across the Solway Tweed, whether due to run-off from fields and down roads in rural and semi-rural areas, or from roofs and paved surfaces in built-up areas, sometimes due to insufficient capacity of drains and sewers. The most notable surface water flooding in recent times was in December 2015, summer 2012, and in Cumbria in 2009. In the long-term, SuDS may relieve some pressures. In the short-term, Local Councils have identified the places where properties are at greater risk of surface water flooding and will gather more data for some of these before considering a range of measures according to circumstances. Some of this will involve working closely with United Utilities and Northumbrian Water and the Environment Agency to jointly understand complex interactions between the drainage, sewer and watercourse systems. It is important to note, though, that laying a bigger drain is often not the solution, as this can simply pass the problem onto the watercourse it discharges into and that could then flood. Prior to April 2015 the Environment Agency was also a statutory consultee for large developments, greater than 1ha in size in flood zone 1 (i.e. in areas at low risk of flooding from rivers and the sea). However, since 15 April 2015 this duty has now passed onto the Lead Local Flood Authorities who now provide local planning authorities with comments on surface water management for new development. This includes review of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) associated with new development. To date, most measures to limit run-off have been below ground, such as underground storage tanks or over-sized sewers. SuDS are usually above ground. They limit site run-off and can filter out some silt and contaminants. Common types of SuDS are ponds which fluctuate in level with rainfall, swales (wide grass ditches), soakaways and permeable pavements (block paving, sometimes with gravel beneath). The approach to be adopted requires infiltration to be considered first, then attenuation and discharge to a watercourse as the next option and only if these are impractical should attenuation with discharge to a sewer be considered. Retro-fitting of SuDS to existing buildings and land is also a way of reducing peak flows in drains/sewers and watercourses and so helping to reduce flooding and pollution.
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Table 9 Summary flood risk from surface water to people, economic activity and the natural and historic environment across the Solway Tweed River Basin District.
Surface Water Total in High risk Medium Low risk river risk basin district Risk to people: Number of people in river basin district: 211,300 700 1800 7,700 Number of services: 740 <10 <10 30
Risk to economic activity:
Number of non-residential properties: 62,800 450 400 2100 Number of airports: 0 0 0 0 Length of roads (km): 400 <10 <10 40 Length of railway (km): 210 <10 <10 20 Agricultural land (ha): 170,900 2,450 1,450 5,700
Risk to the natural and historic environment: Number of EU designated bathing waters 1 0 0 0 within 50m: Number of EPR installations within 50m: 38 3 5 10 Area of SAC within river basin district (ha): 69,650 1,150 500 1,850 Area of SPA within river basin district (ha): 46,900 100 50 450 Area of RAMSAR site within river basin 34,600 <50 <50 50 district (ha): Area of World Heritage Site within river 20,000 200 150 700 basin district (ha): Area of SSSI within river basin district (ha): 57,500 1,350 550 2,050 Area of Parks and Gardens within river 1,500 <50 <50 <50 basin district (ha): Area of Scheduled Ancient Monument 2,500 <50 <50 <50 within river basin district (ha): Number of Listed Buildings within river 4,030 100 20 90 basin district: Number of Licensed water abstractions 330 10 <10 30 within the river basin district:
Groundwater flood risk LLFAs are responsible for managing the risk of flooding from Groundwater. Groundwater is naturally stored in the ground below the water table level. When the water table rises and reaches ground level, water starts to emerge on the surface and flooding can happen. This Page 64 of 87 may be because the ground slopes, or because of break in the rock layers. Once on the surface this groundwater may flow or pond. Groundwater flooding is therefore closely linked to ground conditions, so is less common in the Solway Tweed than in other parts of England, such as the south east where chalk is quite common. Historically, water has been abstracted from rivers and boreholes for use by industry. Sewer flood risk Introduction United Utilities and Northumbrian Water supply water across the Solway Tweed River Basin District and are responsible for the sewers (including newly adopted private sewers) which take away wastewater and any surface water which drains into these sewers. Better outcomes can be gained by considering flood risk from sewers and other sources and then managing actions in an integrated manner with other organisations. However, this is not a mandatory requirement of Flood Risk Management Plans. Managing Sewer Flood Risk United Utilities and Northumbrian Water attend regular partnership meetings with the Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities across the Solway Tweed River Basin District. Data is actively shared across all of these Risk Management Authorities. United Utilities produce their own computer modelling and collaborate and support modelling by others where there is flood risk from multiple sources, especially in those locations with higher risk. Such joint modelling in 2012 and 2013 has helped to provide a more accurate assessment of flood risk. In addition to substantial programmes of capital works, maintenance and property level flood protection, United Utilities also take action to mitigate damage during sewer flooding incidents. As other organisations, after any flooding, United Utilities and Northumbrian Water are involved in recovery work so that communities can return to normality. The water companies have a target to substantially reduce the number of properties experiencing internal flooding by 2020. The occurrence of blockages will be substantially reduced over this period too.
Sewers can flood because of: 1. Hydraulic incapacity - sewers are not big enough for the flows that now enter them; 2. Other causes: a) Sewer collapse; b) Sewer blockage caused by tree roots or with items that shouldn’t be flushed down toilets, or because of oil which has been poured down sinks or drains; c) Loss of power supply to a pumping station, or a failure of mechanical or electrical plant.
Hydraulic Incapacity Today, separate sewer systems are normally built to take away surface water and foul flows from new developments. However, the industrial heritage of the Solway Tweed created a substantial network of ‘combined sewers’ which deal with both surface water and foul drainage. These combined sewers can become overloaded during storms because many were built before capacity standards were adopted in the 1970s and because development since then may have increased the flows entering the network - something which water companies have had very limited powers to control. New sewers are generally designed to Page 65 of 87 take flows up to those with a 1 in 30 chance of happening in any year; however, many parts of the existing network lack this capacity. United Utilities has produced computer models to simulate how the sewerage system behaves during storms. These show where flooding from manholes may occur and where outfalls discharge into rivers, affecting water quality as well as potentially increasing flood risk. They have recently combined these model outputs with ground level data in further analysis (Sewerage Management Plans) of possible flows and flood extent above ground. Details of past incidents and this new modelling of theoretical flood risk are likely to form the basis of major works programme to tackle under-capacity of the sewer network. However, solutions aren’t always as simple as increasing the size of sewers. This may work in some places, but it is very expensive and can be disruptive to communities. Elsewhere, this approach could move flood flows more quickly to a wastewater treatment works or a river outfall, which could exacerbate flood risk from the watercourse beyond there. Underground storage tanks are another common solution for sewer flooding. These hold excess flows during storms, but are very expensive to build. A more sustainable approach is the management of surface water at source through the use of Sustainable Drainage Systems. Choosing between these various alternatives and balancing their relative pros and cons and interactions underlines the importance of organisations working together to manage all types of flood risk. In those instances where flooding cannot be prevented altogether, flood-proofing of properties then becomes a worthwhile option. Sewer flooding above ground may still occur in such locations, but damage can be prevented or greatly reduced by measures at individual properties. These include: flood-proof doors, floating air-brick covers and non- return valves in manholes near to properties. Such measures may be installed where capital works are shown to be not cost beneficial, or where they are planned but it will be some years before completion. Flooding from other causes The Solway Tweed’s sewerage network varies from pre-Victorian to 21st century and with this comes deterioration and the chance of sewers collapsing. Sewers may also silt up, or block with tree roots, fat or non-degradable wipes or disposable nappies which shouldn’t be flushed down toilets. Water companies manage these problems by inspections, CCTV surveys and instrumentation, and by responding to reports from customers. Areas susceptible to sewer blockage may then be targeted with more frequent maintenance or information campaigns such as ‘what not to flush’. Asset Management Plans Water Companies work in five year investment cycles which are regulated by Ofwat. Asset Management Plan 6 (AMP6) runs from 2015 to 2020. During this period UU will undertake work which will include: Modelling and analysis of sewer flood risk Analysis of incident data – locations, frequency and causes Capital works Maintenance Flood-proofing to hundreds of homes Communication campaigns about ‘what not to flush’ to encourage customers not to misuse sewers Installation of remote monitors to aid quicker/pre-emptive response to prevent or reduce flooding
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Extend to other reservoir catchments measures in the ‘Sustainable Catchment Management Programme’ (SCaMP) – peat moorland restoration and fencing in reservoir catchments to reduce sediment runoff, restore habitats and reduce runoff rates Substantial investment to reduce and treat discharges to watercourses in order to reduce pollution incidents, improve water quality and the quality of coastal bathing waters – the ‘National Environment Programme’ The expected incorporation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) into future developments will restrict peak flows entering sewers and minimise the impact of future development on water quality and habitats.
Coastal Erosion & Shoreline Management Plans The Environment Agency has the coastal Strategic Overview in England. The coastal overview joins up coastal management activities to ensure flooding and erosion risk is managed effectively. The overview encourages authorities to work together in partnership to achieve effective management of coastal flooding and erosion risks. Work to tackle coastal erosion is the responsibility of district or unitary councils. Local authorities have operational powers relating to managing coastal erosion under the Coast Protection Act 1949 and the Floods and Water Management Act 2010. Local Authorities lead on coastal risk management activities and undertake works on sea flooding and coastal erosion where they are best placed to do so. This is undertaken in collaboration with the Environment Agency. Shoreline Management plans are non-statutory, high level planning documents. They are large scale assessments of the risk associated with coastal processes, and a policy framework to reduce these risks to people and the developed, historic and natural environment in a sustainable manner. They set the strategic direction for how the coast is wanted to be managed over the next 100 years. SMPs identify the most sustainable approaches to managing coastal erosion and flooding risks in the short, medium, and long term. During the development of Shoreline Management Plans, a range of partners and the public were extensively consulted and involved in the decision making processes. This Flood Risk Management Plan also draws some coastal erosion information from the Shoreline Management Plan 2 (SMP2), however, the full Shoreline Management Plan has not been included in this FRMP. The SMP measures included in this FRMP are those that are most relevant for sea flooding and flood risk issues. You can access further information and the full SMPs here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shoreline-management- plans-smps/shoreline-management-plans-smps. SMPs remain the primary high level strategic planning documents on the coast, as they also contain information on coastal erosion risk management, and their content can be updated or changed using an established auditable process. These changes will be reflected in the FRMPs as they are updated on a six-yearly cycle. These changes may be prompted by changes in the evidence base guiding management decisions in SMPs, including evidence emerging from experience of the ongoing implementation of RBMPs. In this way, the Programme of Measures in RBMPs, the action plan and information in the FRMP, and the ‘living’ SMP documents should successfully inform and read-across to each other. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 established the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to produce marine plans, administer marine licensing and manage marine fisheries in English waters. It introduced marine planning in the UK through production of a marine
Page 67 of 87 policy statement and more detailed marine plans setting spatial policy at a more local level. Eleven marine plans covering English waters are anticipated by 2021. Marine plans will inform and guide marine users and regulators across England, managing the sustainable development of marine industries such as wind farms and fishing, alongside the need to conserve and protect marine species and habitats. At its landward extent, a marine plan will apply up to mean high water, including estuaries and the tidal extent of rivers. All public bodies making authorisation or enforcement decisions capable of affecting the marine area must do so in accordance with the Marine Policy Statement (MPS) or marine plans (where they are in place) or state reasons for not doing so. Marine licensing, administered by the MMO is the main environmental and development control system below high water. Further information can be found on the MMO web pages on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/marine-planning-in-england
Objectives, Conclusions and Measures extracted from the above United Utilities objectives, conclusions and measures to manage sewer flood risk are included in Section 9. United Utilities’ Business Plan is awaiting Final Determination from Ofwat (The Water Services Regulation Authority) in December 2014. That may impact on the funding, outcomes and programme for work up to 2020. Measures set out in Section 9 therefore give a broad indication only of the company’s work. Measures under the Floods Directive are not a statutory requirement for water and sewerage companies.
Find out more
7 Interactive flood maps for flooding from rivers, the sea, reservoirs and surface water 8 Solway Tweed RBMP 9 Current Ecological and Chemical Status of Water Bodies 10 The Environment Agency maintenance programme for rivers and sea
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7 Sub-areas in the Solway Tweed river basin district
Introduction There are a number of sub-areas within the Solway Tweed river basin district, as shown in Figure 14 and outlined below. These sub-areas and issues in them are described in Catchment Summaries in part B of the FRMP. These are: Catchments (which are set out according to WFD Management Catchments) Flood Risk Areas (identified in the Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment): areas that require flood risk management plans for local sources of flooding.
Figure 14 Solway Tweed river basin district showing Catchments. Page 69 of 87
Management Catchments These are areas where we focus engagement to enable a catchment based approach to water management. There are 4 catchments in the Solway Tweed river basin district, as listed below: The following catchments are included in this plan: Eden and Esk Waver and Wampool Till English Tweed
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8 Conclusions, objectives and measures to manage risk for the Solway Tweed river basin district
These conclusions, objectives and measures are set out for the Solway Tweed river basin district. To provide an overview of measures in the river basin district, this section also summarises the proposed measures for the sub-areas (Catchments, Flood Risk Areas) as set out further in Part B. Measures in FRMPs do not all have secured funding and are not guaranteed to be implemented. Money is allocated to all RMA measures in the same way and is based on current Government policy that gives the highest priority to lives and homes. Conclusions General The geographic position of the region, exposes it to Atlantic weather systems, strong tidal surges and high rainfall in parts. Rainfall increases as the ground rises away from the coast and is especially high on the Lake District fells.
Steep ground and certain types of soil and rock combine to give a number of rapid response catchments. This can lead to rapid flood inundation by deep and/or fast flowing water with consequent risk to life or injury as well as property damage. Local awareness of the risk and other preparedness measures in such places are even more important than for other areas. Certain soils can also greatly inhibit infiltration of rain water into the ground, which will make some types of sustainable drainage system inappropriate in some areas.
Erosion of river channels and deposition of gravel is a natural process but can be a problem in upland areas, where it can reduce the watercourse’s capacity to convey flows and cause higher water or flood levels. Gravel deposition occurs where flows slow down but doesn’t necessarily increase flood risk. Lowland and flatter watercourses flow more slowly and can deposit silt rather than gravel. We use inspections, surveys and computer models to understand the likely impact, when to act and by how much. We also need to consider the impact on fauna, especially fish, crayfish and pearl mussels, when doing such work.
The Environment Agency maintains river channels mostly where there is flood risk to property, otherwise this is a ‘riparian owner’ (owner of land adjacent to a watercourse) responsibility and we provide advice on environmental constraints.
Flood risk within the Solway Tweed river basin district is from a variety of sources; rivers, the sea, surface water, ordinary watercourses, reservoirs and sewers. There are more than 1700 people at high risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. 20 services (essential infrastructure etc.) are at high risk from the same sources, as are 8 Km of road and 5 Km of railway. The Office of National Statistics’ 2012-based projection suggests the UK population will increase by 9.6 million over the next 25 years from an estimated 63.7 million in mid-2012 to 73.3 million in mid-2037.
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The National Farmers Union commented that increased flooding of agricultural land, whether from climate change or a move to more natural ways of managing flooding, will require balancing against the need to ensure food security. This challenge may be further compounded by population growth and the need to produce or import food for more people and perhaps for export to a global market too. Food production close to the point of consumption is generally preferred. The Office of National Statistics’ 2012-based projection suggests the UK population will increase by 9.6 million over the next 25 years from an estimated 63.7 million in mid-2012 to 73.3 million in mid-2037.The challenge in the 21st century is therefore to increase productivity, maximise output, minimise inputs, achieve environmental sustainability and adapt to a changing climate. The December floods have emphasised the need to be sure we have in place and implement the very best possible plans for flood management across the whole country. In response to these floods the Government has put in place a National Flood Resilience Review and Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire. It is working to strengthen or establish partnerships in the areas most affected by the December 2015 floods to encourage a more integrated approach to managing risk across the whole catchment. The outcomes of these initiatives will strengthen partnership working and complement the flood risk measures within the Flood Risk Management Plan to further reduce flood risk and increase resilience.
Rivers and the sea Fluvial The Eden catchment is the catchment with the greatest flood risk across the River Basin District. The City of Carlisle and towns of Penrith, and Appleby have the greatest flood risk and have suffered flooding historically. Many villages across the catchment also suffer from flooding as a result of the topography, high rainfall and historic structures and channel constrictions. The English part of the Esk catchment has less flood risk. Longtown and its surrounding area is at risk from river and to a lesser extent tidal flooding. The town of Wigton is the location with largest flood risk in the Waver and Wampool catchment.
The Local Floods Partnership in Cumbria will complement work by the statutory Regional Flood and Coastal Committee by considering with communities and partners what improvements to flood defences in the Solway Tweed may be needed. It will look to build further links between local residents, community groups and flood defence planning and consider options for slowing river flow to reduce the intensity of water flows at peak times. The group is chaired by the Floods Minister and comprises local authorities, the Environment Agency, community groups and partner organisations (e.g. rivers trusts, National park, UU). This work is being carried out alongside the implementation of flood risk management plan measures. The group will publish a Cumbria Action Plan in 2016.
Catchment Flood Management Plans published in 2008 considered possible increases in flood levels, extent and risk if climate change were to increase flood flows by 20%. Climate projections since then suggest flood flows could increase by more than that but acknowledge significant uncertainty. No additional analysis is proposed at this stage; instead our preferred approach is to emphasise the uncertainty in climate change impacts. Planners, Emergency Planners, Asset Managers and others should ask questions such as: “have we considered what might happen if flood risk is worse than previously considered?” and “what can we do to mitigate the increased flood risk?” Flooding of small communities across the river basin district may lend themselves to a property level protection approach. The rural nature of the many of the catchments may also
Page 72 of 87 lend themselves to the catchment based approach to flood management. The Environment Agency is considering the use of both of these techniques.
Historic agricultural land improvement works in the Waver and Wampool catchment have seen extensive watercourse modification and the construction of pumped drainage schemes in certain parts of the catchment. These schemes are supported by a programme of annual maintenance works carried out by the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is aiming to withdraw from land drainage works that serve no wider flood risk benefit, it is working with the community to manage its withdrawal from this land drainage work.
Coastal and tidal Communities along the coastline of the catchment are at risk of flooding from the sea. Properties at Silloth & Skinburness, Kirkbride, Port Carlisle and Anthorn have flooded historically.
Climate change projections suggest that future sea level rise could be up to 950mmin 100 years, though this varies along the coast and in bays and estuaries
Reservoirs In the Solway Tweed river basin district there are 15 large raised reservoirs that hold at least 25,000m3 of water above natural ground level. The hazard maps show the largest area that might flood if a reservoir were to fail. The chances of a reservoir failing and causing flooding are very low; however the extent of flooding from a reservoir can be up to 50 miles from its source. This is because the local geography, such as valleys, can channel flood water long distances.
In the Solway Tweed river basin district there are 15200 people within the maximum extent of flooding from reservoirs. There are many items of infrastructure and services within the maximum extent of flooding from reservoirs. Clearly there are many kilometres of road and rail infrastructure at risk also, as are many culturally and environmentally designated features.
Under the Reservoirs Act 1975 the Environment Agency regulates all reservoirs with a capacity of 25,000 cubic metres or more, which could escape in the event of a dam failure. The Environment Agency are currently re-classifying high risk reservoirs. 'High-risk' reservoirs will be those reservoirs that we think, in the event of an uncontrolled release of water, could endanger human life. In the future the Environment Agency will continue to maintain a register of all reservoirs with a capacity of over 25,000m³ above ground level, but we will only fully regulate the ‘high-risk’ reservoirs.
In the future the Environment Agency will continue to maintain a register of all reservoirs with a capacity of over 25,000 cubic metres, but we will only fully regulate the ‘high-risk’ reservoirs. Surface Water Flood risk within the English catchments of the river basin district is from a variety of sources including rivers, the sea, surface water, ordinary watercourses, reservoirs and sewers. There are more than 18,350 people at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. Surface water flooding is particularly difficult to manage, due to its potentially rapid onset (flash flooding) and its variation, which can be from very localised to much more extensive. This depends on ground levels, storm intensity and duration and on whether river levels are high enough to impede drainage into them. All of this can make forecasting for surface water flooding impractical or very challenging at present. Surface water is an obvious threat in Page 73 of 87 dense urban areas where large numbers of properties can be affected and where there are hazards to public safety, such as people living in basement properties, underground car parking and pedestrian and vehicular underpasses. Perhaps less obvious are the semi-rural areas where there are fewer properties, but where the ground may slope more steeply. Examples include much of the flooding to villages and urban fringes in Cumbria in 2009. Local Flood Risk Management Strategies produced by LLFAs provide details of locations, the nature of their risk, past history and any associated actions planned. They also state where there are multiple sources of risk, for example a combination of surface water and river or sewer flooding. Actions such as making properties more resistant (flood-proof) and resilient (building fabric recovers more quickly) to flooding and integrating actions taken by organisations during flooding incidents can often reduce impacts from different types of flooding. Groundwater For the river basin district, groundwater is not generally a particular source of flooding problems. This is largely due to the geology of the region. Sewers Flood risk from sewer flooding may arise because of under-capacity of the sewers, or because they block or collapse, or problems such as a power failure to a wastewater pumping station. United Utilities has a programme of major work to address capacity problems. Bigger sewers aren’t always the answer; these can pass flooding problems to areas further downstream in the sewer, drainage or watercourse network. Incident data is analysed to identify areas prone to blockages and collapses and the company then investigates the causes: ageing infrastructure, tree root ingress, or flushing inappropriate items down toilets. Solutions may be some construction work, or more frequent maintenance, or an information campaign about ‘what not to flush’. The Water Company’s approach has seen flooding incidents from sewers reduced by more than a third in the last three years. Its proposals in the next five year Asset Management Plan from 2015 to 2020 are targeting further significant reductions. Larger sewers and new storage tanks are part of the solution, but these are not always sustainable – with potentially increased flows due to climate change it is necessary to balance solutions to ensure the best long term approach. Partnership working Strategic flood risk Partnership Groups bring together Lead Local Flood Authorities, District Councils, Environment Agency and water companies. Groups are loosely based on counties. Their work together provides mutual benefit and produces better outcomes for people and property at risk of flooding. In addition, Defra is encouraging the Catchment Based Approach with partners, promoting implementation of the Water Framework Directive at the local level and seeking opportunities to integrate with flood risk management initiatives wherever possible. Coastal erosion Coastal erosion risk management is not a mandatory requirement for Flood Risk Management Plans, but it is closely linked to managing flood risk from the sea. Including some information on this type of work provides a clearer view of the range of challenges and how organisations are working to meet these. This Flood Risk Management Plan summarises some of the information from SMP2 but in no way changes the approach developed then with the aid of substantial consultation. The Cumbrian coast isn’t eroding as much as other parts of the country such as South East and North Norfolk in particular.
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Objectives to manage risk for the Solway Tweed river basin district The objectives in the Solway Tweed Flood Risk Management Plan are aligned with the second cycle River Basin Management Plan and are and have been developed from existing plans and strategies and public consultation. Table 10 Solway Tweed river basin district objectives for rivers, sea, reservoirs and local flood risk sources
Rivers, sea & reservoirs Local flood risk sources (Environment Agency) (Lead Local Flood Authorities) Minimise impact to people and property and to critical Support communities and businesses to be more infrastructure and services from rivers, the sea, surface resilient to flooding and its impacts through being water, groundwater, reservoirs & sewers A more aware and better able to reduce their risk and recover from flooding
Encourage utilities to ensure appropriate flood
B resistance/resilience of key infrastructure
1 Reduce flood risk to create better opportunities for C availability and affordability of insurance for property owners. Ensure that flood risk management is delivered taking account of the social challenges that can Social D influence effective flood risk management in poorer communities. 2 The water environment shall be enjoyed by people and provide opportunities for recreational amenity Promote the consideration of environmental benefits to people (ecosystem services) as part of work to manage flood 3 risk
Reduce annual flood damages to property and E
businesses Through effective partnerships and a strong F evidence base, secure maximum funding for flood risk management and works
4 Minimise flood risk impact to the local economy so that Minimise the whole life costs of flood risk business is resilient and sustainable growth is supported G management assets whilst achieving good service levels Ensure development is resilient to meet the demands of economic and population growth Economic H and, where possible, benefits flood risk elsewhere 5 Promote an integrated approach to water management I Promote use of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), management of overland flow paths and Work with river, estuarine and coastal processes to conserve effective planning controls to restrict flows 6 and enhance natural hydro-morphology (sediment movement J entering the drainage network, reduce flood risk and physical features ) and water quality and improve water quality
Promote natural flood risk management and protection of soils Seek to conserve land cover permeability in key 7 K areas Deliver a clean and safe water environment with benefits for Deliver a clean and safe water environment, rich the wider environment. The water environment will have L in wildlife 8 diverse flora and fauna which benefits from natural flood management techniques, 'green infrastructure' and improved Deliver sustainable land use ecological connectivity M Support climate change adaptation by making space for water, Manage increasing flood risk from climate 9 both inland and at the coast N change in a sustainable way Conserve built and natural heritage wherever possible Contribute to the enhancement of built and Environmental 1 O 0 natural heritage wherever possible Page 75 of 87
Themes for measures across the Solway Tweed river basin district Many measures are specific to a catchment or smaller area such as communities. However there are some important themes which apply across the entire river basin district. Below is a summary of these river basin wide themes. More detailed catchment measures are available in the catchment summaries in Part B, and the full table of measures is included in Part C. Measures in FRMPs do not all have secured funding and are not guaranteed to be implemented. Money is allocated to all RMA measures in the same way and is based on current Government policy that gives the highest priority to lives and homes. Measures included are over and above RMA ‘flood risk management activities’ undertaken routinely, as explained in Section 4 – How to Manage Risk. The measures cover discrete pieces of work such as projects and campaigns.
Preventing risk: Hydraulic modelling and hydrology – Hydraulic modelling to simulate flood flows in rivers and from this predict flood levels, extents and frequencies for a wide range of uses. Example: o Many LLFAs are investigating the locations and routes of culverted watercourses where these are not already known, in order that they can then assess the structure’s condition and capacity Development planning and control – Environment Agency supports and advises Local Planning Authorities: o Seek to prevent inappropriate development in flood plain, ensure new developments are at minimum flood risk both now and in the future and do not increase flood risk elsewhere o Plan regeneration to reduce the numbers of properties at flood risk and make new property resistant and resilient to flooding o Highlight hazard from surface water in dense urban areas, particularly to public safety, such as people living in basement properties, underground car parking and pedestrian and vehicular underpasses. o Adaptation measures for a changing climate should have regard to the recently released ‘Planning Decisions and Climate Change’ guidance for Local Authority Planners. Appropriate measures, based on normal/best practice, include, but are not limited to: . - safeguarding overland flow routes . - widening river corridors . - allocating land for flood storage . - considering potential for green/brown-field land swaps to make wider river corridors possible. . - raising floor levels and including flood resilience techniques and materials in buildings within floodplain. Subject to resources, EA will support targeting of this work by LPAs. Enforcement – Where necessary undertake enforcement against riparian landowners to carry out maintenance for the purpose of minimising flood risk, or to ensure access to watercourses or structures is preserved for maintenance by others
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Support sustainable economic growth – Environment Agency and Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) liaison to seek match-funding opportunities for FCRM work and sustainable economic growth: o Share flood risk data and Environment Agency /LLFA FCRM programme and investment proposals with Local Enterprise Partnerships o Seek growth site details from LEPs including locations, programme and investment o Identify flood risk constraints to growth and how sites can be more resilient to climate change. Coastal Land Management initiatives to mitigate flood risk - Identify land management practices and a strategy for promoting local implementation of actions in the Shoreline Management Plan 2. FCRM monitoring application of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme for FRM benefits - Produce a biennial report on Countryside Stewardship Scheme application across the river basin district reviewing contribution to FRM, future potential and monitoring (for example - potential for engaging universities). Develop a risk-based programme - Combine incident data and modelling of possible sewer flood risk to target flood risk management measures. Reduce problems at source - Working with other organisations, reduce/slow down run-off at source, influence proposals so that run-off infiltrates naturally into the ground or drains to rivers where possible and channel overland flood flows away from property.
Preparing for risk: Flood forecasting and warning – Use real time rainfall and river level data to provide a flood warning service to areas at risk of flooding. Incident planning and management – RMAs plan and prepare for flooding by developing both individual and multi-agency incident response plans, run exercises to test these and incident debriefs to improve them. Engagement – Engage with communities, RMAs, funding bodies and others to identify opportunities and constraints and together take action to minimise flood risk and impacts Review compliance with Eel Regulations - Undertake a mid-plan cycle review of progress on the projected compliance of FRM infrastructure with Eel Regulations (2009), as being delivered under the Integrated Environment Programme (IEP) within the NW River Basin District, in particular to meet compliance with ‘legacy’ structures by 2021. Canal Flood Risk - Environment Agency, under its Strategic Overview for flooding from all sources, seeks an improved understanding of flood risk from canals, potentially leading to closer working during incidents. Pilot citizen engagement projects - Trial pilot engagement projects at two locations where areas of FRM and WFD measures coincide. Review of river level/flow and rain gauge network - A long term fit for purpose review of the gauge and telemetry network in the context of climate change: a
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strategic review to allow future needs and long term investment planning to be put in train. Further work to refine the ‘Communities at Risk’ dataset - take mapped clusters of properties at risk of fluvial and tidal flooding (and other flooding sources with support from LLFAs and United Utilities) and look at options for possible flood risk measures. Engagement with communities is important, so that past history and current constraints and opportunities can be understood. From this will stem a mix of large construction projects, property level flood protection, natural flood management, using existing reservoirs differently, flood warning/emergency planning changes and community self-help actions to minimise flooding impacts to people, property and business. Promote and support improved community resilience - Key communities at risk of flooding know their flood risk and what they and others can and will do to manage it. Activities include: communications (multiple methods), setting up community groups, exploring options to reduce risk, funding, action plans and maximising each community's ability for a degree of self-help. Communications with landowners - Promote awareness by landowners of actions they can take for benefits including flood risk, water quality and habitats. Supporting flood resilience of communities and businesses - Risk Management Authorities will provide appropriate flood risk data, information and advice to communities and businesses so they can take appropriate actions to prepare for and reduce their flood risk and more readily recover after a flood. Strengthen links between measures in FRMP and RBMP - Actions in the FRMP and RBMP have been mapped in trial catchments. This mapping will be extended to the whole River Basin District and shared with Catchment Partnerships, Flood Risk Management Partnership Groups and other relevant stakeholders. Support residents and businesses in relation to flood insurance and flood resilience and resistance techniques and products - Provide advice via websites, printed publications and face to face to individuals and groups and set up appropriate frameworks with specialist suppliers, surveyors and contractors Produce Opportunity Maps for 2nd cycle FRMP - Integrate partner aims and opportunities in relation to flood risk, water quality, water resources and habitats to aid setting of future actions for multiple benefits Collate and use local research outputs to target Climate Change adaptation - Summarise relevant research by academic institutions to enhance understanding by Risk Management Authorities of impacts on flood risk from a changing climate, including which areas may be affected most and possible local adaptation Review links between FRMP Objectives and Measures to guide relative priorities - Tabulate measures and objectives for sample catchments and rate the links between them. Use this to steer priorities and ensure balance between social, economic and environmental aims. Extend this exercise to all catchments if it proves useful and make results available to stakeholders on request. Use as a basis for drafting 2nd cycle FRMP objectives and measures
Protecting from risk:
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Asset management and maintenance – Assess whole life costs and set optimum regime for maintaining and replacing assets (structures such as flood walls, channel walls and pumping stations) to manage flood risk in each river system in the optimum way which balances the needs of and benefits to people, the economy and the environment. Maintenance – Carry out inspections and maintenance of river channels and flood defence structures (raised defences, channel walls, culverts, pumping stations, flood storage basins, outfalls and flap valves), especially where flood risk affects properties; LLFAs and United Utilities carry out similar operations on their networks; advise riparian owners what work they should do and how, which is mostly channel maintenance. Shoreline Management Plan 2 – Implement actions from SMP2 associated with managing coastal erosion and flood risk from the sea Implement the Coastal Monitoring Plan - to provide data to support Shoreline Management Plan 2 implementation and inform investment decisions so that coastal erosion and coastal/tidal flood risk are appropriately managed. Prioritise Coastal Managed Realignment Sites - develop a programme of engagement initiatives with stakeholders based on sites prioritised for investigation or action between now and 2030. Incident response - field teams clear obstructions (leaves, branches and other) from screens on culverts during heavy rainfall and high river levels, as highlighted by monitors on site, inspections or reports from the Public. Improvement works – Identify potential options and promote works to reduce the likelihood of flooding in areas where modelling has shown that there is an unacceptable risk, or that have flooded in the past. Review land allocation and opportunities for de-culverting and flood storage - In its role as a statutory consultee, the Environment Agency will advise Local Planning Authorities to cross-reference housing and employment sites with watercourse locations and identify appropriate opportunities for de-culverting and flood storage in their Strategic Flood Risk Assessments and housing allocation documents. Where LPAs can share GIS data relating to allocated sites, the Environment Agency will identify those sites with the greatest potential for reducing flood risk and environmental enhancement and promote these opportunities through planning briefs and pre-application enquiries.
Ecological Network – Support River Basin Management Plan led work with Local Authorities to develop an Ecological Network in relation to FCRM habitat opportunities. Reservoirs and fluvial flood risk - Investigate potential for existing water supply reservoirs to reduce flood risk from rivers downstream, either by operating differently or with structural alterations. Explore opportunities based on flood risk to property, reduction in flood flow and risk achievable, water resource impacts, costs and benefits for reservoirs across the river basin district. Reduce the probability and consequences of flooding - Implement a combination of capital works (individually or with others), maintenance, property level flood protection and information campaigns where economically and technically viable. Incorporate Climate Change allowances into flood risk management works - Impacts from a changing climate will be considered in plans for location-specific works to reduce flood risk from all sources. Additional provision will be made during
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original design and construction, or may be deferred until later but allowance made in the design of structures (such as larger wall foundation) to facilitate this. Revised guidance for Risk Management Authorities is scheduled for publication early in 2016 and will recommend use of scenarios and allowances by River Basin District which are contained in the recently released ‘Planning Decisions and Climate Change’ guidance for Local Authority Planners. Identify where working with natural processes/natural flood management can help to reduce flood and coastal erosion risk and help catchments both adapt and become more resilient to the impacts of Climate Change - Produce working with natural processes opportunity maps to show where these measures could help: o reduce flood and coastal erosion risk o catchments both adapt and become more resilient to the impacts of Climate Change o improve water quality and o improve the environment. Woodland planting opportunity maps have already been produced; these identify where planting trees could reduce flood risk and improve water quality. Between 2015-2017, these maps will be expanded to cover a wider range of working with natural processes measures. Planting trees could have an additional role in mitigating against increasing CO2 emissions they also can help shade watercourses helping fish species adapt to increasing water temperatures. Develop knowledge of groundwater flood risk - Install and monitor borehole networks in areas of apparent high susceptibility and maintain records of flooding incidents. Flood Risk Management programmes include 'Slowing the Flow' and Natural Flood Management measures developed with partner organisations - Use natural methods where feasible and sufficiently effective and justified to manage flood risk, improve water quality and benefit habitats. Resulting measures will include: woodland creation, woody debris dams, above or below-ground temporary/permanent ponds & scrapes, peat moorland restoration & gully blocking, reconnecting natural floodplain/washland creation and aerating over-compacted soil to increase infiltration. The approach being developed will begin with opportunity mapping and some analysis of hydrology before initial consultation, site visits and more detailed consideration of benefits and costs. It will culminate in landowner agreements and project delivery. Instrumentation and monitoring to improve future evidence should be included for some sites. Initial priority of this measure will be small catchments upstream of Communities at Risk. Integrate catchment planning and actions In accordance with a theme of the RFCC's 2030 Vision - A recently established joint EA and United Utilities group will explore catchment solutions, opportunities and ways of working to integrate actions for flood risk, water quality and water resources. Scope includes: CSOs, SuDS, reservoirs, natural flood management, drain misconnections, data sharing, research and communications Seek efficiencies through collaboration on maintenance across Risk Management Authorities - Share information about proposed maintenance, locations of welfare facilities and depots/compounds and seek opportunities for collaboration where it might reduce costs, time and disruption to communities. Examples include grass cutting to flood defence embankments & playing fields/public open space, vegetation management, debris screen clearance, flap valve
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maintenance, CCTV surveys and use of land and facilities owned by other Risk Management Authorities. Appoint a Project Officer for Slowing the Flow/Natural Flood Management across the North West/Solway Tweed - Using Regional Flood & Coastal Committee funding a Project Officer will work across Catchment partnerships and liaise with a range of organisations and landowners to identify and promote Slowing the Flow/Natural Flood Management and help to develop a programme of work. Invasive Non-Native Species control - Monitor Invasive Non-Native Species, adopt appropriate controls for these and advise others. Approach will be based on Defra's 'Invasive Non-Native Species Framework Strategy for Great Britain' and take a hierarchical approach of prevention, detection/surveillance and control/eradication. Seek to deliver projects and schemes not currently fully funded through utilising other available funding sources. Consider funds such as European Structural Investment Funding (ESIF) as well as local funding opportunities. Recovery and review of risk: Investigations – RMAs carry out post-flood event investigations, producing and publishing a report for significant events. Underpinning all of the actions above is the principle that we as RMAs will work in a way which conserves the environment and enhances it where possible.
Flood Risk Management Plan contributing to broader benefits Links with the Solway Tweed River Basin Management Plan The strategic aims, objectives and principles of the National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management are outlined in section 5. The overall aim of the strategy is ‘to ensure the risk of flooding and coastal erosion is properly managed by using the full range of options in a co-ordinated way’. The strategy promotes the development of broader benefits to communities related to flood risk management through a range of guiding principles i.e. Community focus and partnership working A catchment and coastal cell based approach Sustainability Proportionate, risk based approaches Multiple benefits Beneficiaries should be encouraged to invest in risk management The specific guiding principles for ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Multiple benefits’ more specifically cover how: Risk management authorities should manage risks in ways that take account of all impacts Flood risk management solutions should be adaptable to climate change Flood risk management solutions should enhance the environment The ability of communities to shape risk management actions to take account of local priorities
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Flood and coastal risk management (FCRM) can bring significant economic, environmental and social benefits (‘It can enhance and protect the built, rural and natural environments, cultural heritage and biodiversity’) FCRM should avoid damaging the environment, including the historic environment FCRM should wherever possible work with natural processes FCRM should always seek to provide environmental benefit as required by the Habitats, Birds and Water Framework Directives In taking forward the National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management, FRMPs have set out a range of social, economic and environmental objectives that include wider benefits alongside the delivery of flood risk management outcomes – see the following sections. These have been informed by considering how the FRMP relates to other plans and wider policies and objectives. In particular, how the FRMP links to the River Basin Management Plans to contribute to a more integrated approach to water management planning, and also to the priorities of Natura 2000 sites that are the subject of recent Site Improvement Plans. The following sections provide more details of this. Links with the Solway Tweed River Basin Management Plan The main aims of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) are to return rivers and the water environment to a state, as free from human influence as possible. Aspects of this include reversing some of the ways in which water bodies have been physically modified in the past, improving water quality and bio-diversity and improving the quality of bathing waters. To achieve this, work by the Water Company, farmers and business is regulated by the Environment Agency and complemented by a programme of works by the Environment Agency and others to remove some structures from rivers. The Solway Tweed FRMP promotes a range of benefits that will contribute to the RBMP through re-naturalisation, water quality improvements, bathing water improvements and natural flood management: Re-naturalisation: Redundant structures such as weirs, culverts, embankments and channel retaining walls are removed to make fish and eel passage easier and provide a more natural water environment with benefits for biodiversity. Modifications to pumping stations and debris screens also benefit fish and eels. The Environment Agency’s ‘integrated environment programme’ is targeting these with ‘mitigation measures’ for ‘physical modifications’ where these are the reason why a waterbody has been classified less than good. Other opportunities are also explored as part of proposals to reduce flood risk in a given location, or when considering development proposals. Water quality: Water quality in some rivers is lower than that sought by the Directive. This and sediment run-off affects invertebrates and fish. Where sediments discolour water in reservoir catchments this needs increased treatment for water supply. Reducing rates of surface water and sediment run-off from land can improve water quality and biodiversity and free up capacity in sewers and drains, which in turn reduces flood risk and potential pollution of rivers. Natural flood management and sustainable drainage measures can achieve these benefits and provide welcome habitat in a more urban environment. Other forms of below-ground run-off attenuation provide less benefit to water quality and biodiversity. Bathing waters: Bathing water quality is monitored by the Environment Agency throughout the summer months in accordance with the EU Bathing Waters Directive. The quality of water in rivers ultimately affects the quality of bathing waters along the coast. Discharges from the sewer network, or by industry, agriculture and diffuse sources, such as roads, are all contributory factors. Many of the improvements sought in water quality will be achieved by the work of others such as United Utilities, Page 82 of 87
farming and industry. Measures, as described for improving water quality above, have potential to benefit bathing waters and demonstrate strong links with flood risk management. Natural flood management: Natural flood management and ‘slowing the flow’ techniques such as restoration of peat moorland, woodland creation, wetlands and ponds encourage greater infiltration of water into the ground and/or hold water back. This reduces peak flows in minor watercourses and across the surface of undeveloped land. The Environment Agency will work with many other organisations and within partnerships to consider the application of these methods and to develop programmes of them alongside more traditional solutions, such as building raised flood defences. Programmes will include the 6 year Medium Term Plan of Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authority projects. This more natural approach can reduce sediment volumes entering rivers, filter out contaminants and enhance habitats. Similar techniques may be applied in or on the fringe of urban areas where they may be referred to as green infrastructure, or sustainable drainage systems. Natural flood management to counter fluvial flood risk will involve siting measures upstream of communities at risk. Measures to satisfy Water Framework Directive objectives will be located upstream or along stretches of water with poor water quality or habitats. Locations where these coincide may require input from more stakeholders to work in collaboration, perhaps using funding from multiple sources. These are likely to provide greater benefit for a given investment and so have a high priority. For example, the Environment Agency will look to reduce flood risk and enhance habitats, United Utilities’ focus is on improving the water quality of rivers and the sea and reducing treatment costs of potable water supplies, while Rivers Trusts and many others have drivers to improve the environment and habitats.
Other Plans and Partnerships Table 11 sets out the key themes from a review of the main other plans and strategies that the Solway Tweed FRMP would be expected to influence. The purpose of the review is to take account of the objectives of these key documents in the assessment with a view to aligning and ensuring compliance of the plan with other policies and legislation. The plan review can also help to identify where other planning processes and organisations may be able to work with the flood risk management planning process.
Table 11 Key influences from the plans review (from SEA Report)
Category of Common themes relevant to the FRMP Key plans plan /strategy Water and Protection, improvement, sustainable The national flood and coastal erosion flood risk management and use of the water risk management strategy for England management environment in terms of quantity and quality Water for people and the environment: – for the benefit of the human and natural Water resources strategy for England environment. and Wales Flood risk management measures could Water white paper: Water for life place pressure on water bodies and any Catchment flood risk management measure to be implemented would have to plans be Water Framework Directive compliant. North West England and Northern An update to the Solway Tweed river basin Wales Shoreline Management Plan management plan is being prepared in Surface water management plans parallel to the FRMP. The strategic Solway Tweed river basin management environmental assessment for the FRMP will plan include a check on the alignment with the RBMP.
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Category of Common themes relevant to the FRMP Key plans plan /strategy Biodiversity Protection and enhancement of important Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for habitats and species, both from a statutory England’s Wildlife and Ecosystem basis (International and National Services conservation designations and protected Natural environment white paper: The species) and through policy. natural choice: Securing the value of Promotion of coherent ecological networks. nature Promotion of working with natural processes Biodiversity Action Plans (Cumbria, and sustainable development/management. Lancashire, Gtr Manchester, Cheshire, Tackling the issue of non native invasive North Merseyside) species Eel Management Plan: Solway Tweed Flood risk management measures could River Basin District place pressure on habitats and species, and River Eden Restoration Strategy work against natural processes.
Landscape Protection of existing sensitive landscapes All landscapes matter (such as National Parks and AONBs) National Park Management Plans for Promotion of actions to improve water quality the Lake District and Northumberland. and water quantity, protect and enhance The North Pennines and Solway Firth habitats, and restore the wider landscape AONB Management Plans character Flood risk management measures could place pressure on sensitive landscapes, and lead to changes in water quality, quantity and change in habitat type. Climate Long term aims for reduction of carbon Managing the environment in a dioxide emissions including binding targets, changing climate and wide-reaching policies across all sectors The national flood and coastal erosion to deliver reductions. risk management strategy for England Requirements to adapt to climate change and associated threats, the need for increased resilience to climate change. Likely increase in flooding and coastal erosion due to climate change. Marine and Sustainable economic growth that balances UK Marine Policy Statement Coastal benefits to society with the needs of local communities and protecting nature conservation. Coastal flood risk management measures can enable growth Coastal flood risk management measures would need to be in alignment with planning policies. Cultural Sustainable development in relation to The Government’s Statement on the heritage historic assets through conservation and Historic Environment for England 2010 enhancement. Heritage at Risk Register 2012: North The historic environment could be affected West by flood risk management measures for Planning Policy Statement 5: Planning example through the construction of new for the Historic Environment flood risk management schemes, LLFA Core Strategies implementation of fish/eel passage on flood risk management assets and as such any such measures would need to be appropriately assessed. Resource Promotion of sustainable waste and LLFA Minerals and Waste Plans management resource management and the protection and enhancement of the environment. Page 84 of 87
Category of Common themes relevant to the FRMP Key plans plan /strategy Planning Promotion of sustainable growth National Planning Policy Framework Flood risk management measures can LLFA Core Strategies enable growth Flood risk management measures would need to be in alignment with planning policies. Development activities could place pressure on the water bodies and would need to be appropriately managed and assessed to ensure no detrimental effect to the water environment or increase in flood risk. Forestry Protection, management and enhancement Government Forestry and Woodlands of woods and forests to provide economic, Policy social and environmental benefits e.g. managing flood risk in a sustainable way, and helping to reduce water pollution
Find out more
11 National Planning policy Framework https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2 Solway Tweed River Management Plans https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/river-basin-management-plan-update
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9 Implementing the plan
Flood risk management plans (FRMPs) are produced every 6 years and describe the sources, risks and measures to manage flooding within a river basin and catchment. Implementing the measures in the FRMP will be carried out by risk management authorities (RMAs) working with partners and communities. RMAs are invited to submit details of proposed flood and coastal erosion risk management work to the Environment Agency who administer funds on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). These proposals are combined with Environment Agency proposed schemes and local regional flood and coastal committee (RFCC) funded projects to form a programme of work. Funding is allocated in line with government policy and priorities. Not all of the measures identified will be implemented over the six year lifetime of this plan. Some measures require further work such as technical feasibility assessment, consultation with land and property owners, as well as assessing impacts on other river functions. Some measures may be disproportionately costly or unable to raise the necessary partnership funding to enable them to go ahead at this time. All of these issues are considered by the RFCCs, which are set up by Defra to scrutinise and approve the flood risk plans proposed by the Environment Agency (EA) and lead local flood authorities (LLFAs). There may be additional measures implemented alongside those in this plan on a national and local basis as a result of the National Flood Resilience Review and the work by the Local Flood Partnerships in Cumbria and Yorkshire.
The Catchment based approach The catchment based approach encourages local engagement and participation in decision- making. As we finalise and implement this plan we will seek to engage further with relevant catchment partnerships in order to deliver flood risk management outcomes and broader benefits. Monitoring delivery of measures During the planning and implementation cycle the Environment Agency will monitor progress in delivering the measures set out in the FRMP. We will report progress annually to the relevant Regional Flood and Coastal Committees and review the FRMP every 6 years, as required by the Flood Risk Regulations.
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LIT 10217 Page 87 of 87