River Douglas Catchment Flood Management Plan Summary Report December 2009 Managing Flood Risk We Are the Environment Agency
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River Douglas Catchment Flood Management Plan Summary Report December 2009 managing flood risk We are the Environment Agency. It’s our job to look after your environment and make it a better place – for you, and for future generations. Your environment is the air you breathe, the water you drink and the ground you walk on. Working with business, Government and society as a whole, we are making your environment cleaner and healthier. The Environment Agency. Out there, making your environment a better place. Published by: Environment Agency Richard Fairclough House Knutsford Road Warrington WA4 1HT Tel: 0870 8506506 Email: [email protected] www.environment-agency.gov.uk © Environment Agency All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Environment Agency. December 2009 Introduction I am pleased to introduce our summary of the River Douglas Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP). This CFMP gives an overview of the flood risk in the River Douglas catchment and sets out our preferred plan for sustainable flood risk management over the next 50 to 100 years. The River Douglas CFMP is one of 77 CFMPs for England surge or from backing up of river water due to high and Wales. Through the CFMPs, we have assessed tides. Serious flooding has been recorded in Wigan, inland flood risk across all of England and Wales for Croston, Appley Bridge, Leyland and Whittle Le Woods. the first time. The CFMP considers all types of inland There are currently more than 2,200 properties at risk flooding, from rivers, groundwater, surface water of flooding in a 1% Annual Probability Event (APE) and tidal flooding, but not flooding directly from the (this includes some tidal flooding). An additional 329 sea (coastal flooding), which is covered by Shoreline properties across the CFMP area would be at risk of Management Plans (SMPs). Our coverage of surface flooding from rivers or the sea in a future 1% event. and groundwater is however limited due to a lack of We cannot reduce flood risk on our own, we will available information. therefore work closely with all our partners to improve The role of CFMPs is to establish flood risk management the co-ordination of flood risk activities and agree policies which will deliver sustainable flood risk the most effective way to management flood risk in management for the long term. This is essential if we the future. To develop this plan and ensure social, are to make the right investment decisions for the economic and environmental issues were taken future and to help prepare ourselves effectively for into account we worked with, and consulted many the impact of climate change. We will use CFMPs to organisations. These include United Utilities, South help us target our limited resources where the risks Ribble Borough Council, Lancashire County Council, are greatest. Chorley Borough Council Natural England, English Heritage, NFU and Defra. This CFMP identifies flood risk management policies to assist all key decision makers in the catchment. It was This is a summary of the main CFMP document, if you produced through a wide consultation and appraisal need to see the full document an electronic version process, however it is only the first step towards an can be obtained by emailing enquiries@environment- integrated approach to Flood Risk Management. As we agency.gov.uk or alternatively paper copies can be all work together to achieve our objectives, we must viewed at any of our offices in North West Region. monitor and listen to each others progress, discuss what has been achieved and consider where we may need to review parts of the CFMP. Flooding in the Douglas CFMP area can be due to rivers overtopping their banks or from surface water, particularly in built up areas. There is also a risk of Tony Dean flooding from the sea, due to high tides and storm Regional Director Environment Agency River Douglas Catchment Flood Management Plan 1 Contents The purpose of a CFMP in managing flood risk 3 Catchment overview 4 Current and future flood risk 6 Future direction for flood risk management 10 Sub-areas 1 Wigan 12 2 Appley Bridge and Croston 14 3 Tidal River Douglas 16 4 Fluvial Yarrow 18 5 Leyland and Lostock to Whittle Le Woods 19 6 Horwich 20 7 Tidal Villages 22 8 Rivington 23 9 River Douglas 24 10 Rural Lostock and Yarrow Communities 26 Map of CFMP policies 28 2 Environment Agency River Douglas Catchment Flood Management Plan The purpose of a CFMP in managing flood risk CFMPs help us to understand the • Internal Drainage Board, water CFMPs aim to promote more scale and extent of flooding now companies and other utilities to sustainable approaches to managing and in the future, and set policies help plan their activities in the flood risk. The policies identified in for managing flood risk within the wider context of the catchment. the CFMP will be delivered through a catchment. CFMPs should be used combination of different approaches. • Transportation planners. to inform planning and decision Together with our partners, we making by key stakeholders such as: • Landowners, farmers and will implement these approaches land managers who manage through a range of delivery plans, • The Environment Agency, who will and operate land for projects and actions. use the plan to guide decisions agriculture, conservation on investment in further plans, The relationship between the CFMP, and amenity purposes. projects or actions. delivery plans, strategies, projects • The public and businesses to and actions is shown in figure 1. • Regional planning bodies and enhance their understanding local authorities who can use of flood risk and how it will the plan to inform spatial be managed. planning activities and emergency planning. Figure 1 The relationship between CFMPs, delivery plans, projects and actions Policy planning • CFMPs and Shoreline Management Plans. • Action plans define requirement for delivery plans, projects and actions. Policy delivery plans (see note) Projects and actions • Influence spatial planning to reduce risk • Make sure our spending delivers the best and restore floodplains. possible outcomes. • Prepare for and manage floods • Focus on risk based targets, for example (including local Flood Warning plans). numbers of households at risk. • Managing assets. • Water level management plans. • Land management and habitat creation. Note: Some plans may not be led by us – we may • Surface water management plans. identify the need and encourage their development. Environment Agency River Douglas Catchment Flood Management Plan 3 Catchment overview The Douglas CFMP area is located In the eastern part of the CFMP area, Ribble estuary approximately 8km in Lancashire in North West the rivers are steeper, responding downstream of Preston. England. The area is made up of quickly to rainfall. In the west, The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs both urban and rural areas. The the catchment is flatter and rivers through the catchment. The River east of the CFMP area is dominated respond more slowly to rainfall. Douglas connects the canal and the by the larger urban settlements Land drainage within the CFMP Ribble Estuary. The area is crossed of Wigan, Chorley, Leyland and study area has been significantly by several national transport links Skelmersdale and these contain changed over time to allow including the M6 and the west coast around half of the flood risk areas. intensively managed agricultural mainline railway. In some places, There has been a decline in many land and urban areas to be created. such as in the Fluvial Yarrow policy of the traditional manufacturing Development has taken place in area, these are at risk of flooding. and related industries and some the floodplain, leading to the risk key areas have been targeted for There are locally and nationally of flooding in developed areas regeneration. The western part of important environmental sites in such as Wigan, Croston and Appley the CFMP area is mainly agricultural the CFMP area at risk of flooding. In Bridge. In many reaches the rivers land with small villages and towns. the tidal Lower Douglas, close to the have been heavily modified. Raised Here the land quality is good Ribble Estuary there is the Ribble defences have been introduced and able to support high value and Alt specially protected area, the and used widely, they reduce flood agricultural and horticultural activity Ribble and Alt Ramsar, the Ribble risk by moving water rapidly along which maintains the local economy. Estuary SSSI and the Ribble Estuary the channel and culverts. They There are currently more than 2200 NNR which have been designated prevent overtopping of the banks properties in the Douglas CFMP area for their populations of wildfowl. up to their designed standard at risk of flooding in an event with a of protection. Heavily modified 1% chance of occurring in any year. watercourses, such as culverts can (1% annual probability event (APE). increase flood risk by restricting The River Douglas has two major flow and forcing water to back up tributaries, the Rivers Yarrow behind them and possibly flow and Lostock. The headwaters out of the banks or channel. The of the Douglas and Yarrow rise floodplain of the lower Douglas on Rivington Moor. The upper and Yarrow consists of high grade catchment is characterised by the agricultural land where drainage Rivington Reservoir complex. This is modified by pumping within significantly alters the natural a complex network of artificial drainage patterns of the Douglas channels. The lower reaches of and Yarrow. These reservoirs are the Douglas are influenced by the used for public water supply and tide which controls discharge from play a strategic role in water supply a number of river tributaries of the across North West England. lower Douglas with pumped or flap outfalls.