River Tees Catchment Flood Management Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Tees 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 Rivers House, 21 Park Square South, Leeds, LS1 2QG 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. ISBN: GENE1109BRCK-E-P December 2009 Introduction I am pleased to introduce our summary of the Tees Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP). This CFMP gives an overview of the flood risk in the Tees catchment and sets out our preferred plan for sustainable flood risk management over the next 50 to 100 years. The Tees CFMP is one of 77 CFMPs for England and the years a number of engineering schemes have Wales. Through the CFMPs, we have assessed inland been implemented to reduce the risk of flooding in the flood risk across all of England and Wales for the first catchment. At present over 9,600 properties including time. The CFMP considers all types of inland flooding, some key infrastructure buildings are at risk of flooding from rivers, ground water, surface water and tidal (not taking into account defences) during the one per flooding, but not flooding directly from the sea cent flood event. In the future due to climate change (coastal flooding), which is covered by Shoreline this number is expected to increase to 11,230. Management Plans (SMPs). Our coverage of surface We cannot reduce flood risk on our own, we will and ground water is however limited due to a lack therefore work closely with all our partners to improve of available information. the co-ordination of flood risk activities and agree the The role of CFMPs is to establish flood risk management most effective way to manage flood risk in the future. policies which will deliver sustainable flood risk We have worked with and consulted the relevant local management for the long term. This is essential if we authorities in the catchment and with local bodies such are to make the right investment decisions for the as Natural England in developing this plan. future and to help prepare ourselves effectively for This is a summary of the main CFMP document, if you the impact of climate change. We will use CFMPs to need to see the full document an electronic version help us target our limited resources where the risks can be obtained by emailing enquiries@environment- are greatest. agency.gov.uk or alternatively paper copies can be This CFMP identifies flood risk management policies to viewed at any of our offices in the North East. assist all key decision makers in the catchment. It was produced through a wide consultation and appraisal process; however it is only the first step towards an integrated approach to flood risk management. As we all work together to achieve our objectives, we must monitor and listen to each others progress, discuss what has been achieved and consider where we may need to review parts of the CFMP. The Tees catchment has a long history of flooding with David Dangerfield, reported flooding dating back over 400 years. Over Director – Yorkshire and North East Environment Agency Tees 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 Western 12 2 Middle Tees 14 3 Mid Catchment 16 4 Eastern 18 5 Potto and Swainby 20 6 Halnaby Beck 21 7 Old River Tees 22 8 Northern 24 Map of the CFMP policies 26 2 Environment Agency Tees Catchment Flood Management Plan The purpose of a CFMP in managing flood risk CFMPs help us to understand the • IDBs, water companies and CFMPs aim to promote more scale and extent of flooding now other utilities to help plan their sustainable approaches to managing and in the future, and set policies activities in the wider context of flood risk. The policies identified in for managing flood risk within the 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: • Land owners, farmers and land will implement these approaches managers that manage and through a range of delivery plans, • The Environment Agency, who will operate land for agriculture, projects and actions. use the plan to guide decisions conservation and amenity on investment in further plans, The relationship between the CFMP, 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 the of flood risk and how it will be plan to inform spatial planning managed. 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 Tees Catchment Flood Management Plan 3 Catchment overview The Tees catchment is located in the and the upstream catchment. This The CFMP area contains a north east of England. It has three helps maintain water levels for large number of designated main rivers, the River Tees, the River amenity purposes and eliminates environmental sites covering a wide Skerne and the River Leven. tidal effects further upstream. range of natural, archaeological and heritage sites. The upper part The River Tees drains the eastern The River Skerne is characterised of the catchment is almost entirely slopes of Cross Fell in the Pennines by wide, flat floodplains and within the North Pennines of Natural and flows eastward to the North gentle slopes. The River Leven is Outstanding Beauty (AONB). There Sea. The length of the channel from narrowly confined with limited are 56 Sites of Special Scientific source to sea is approximately floodplain development. Interest (SSSI), five Special Area 160 kilometres. The catchment Land use in the west of the CFMP of Conservation (SAC), and three has areas with distinctly different area is predominantly moorland Special Protection Area (SPA) can characteristics. The rivers in the and pasture. On the lower slopes be found in the headwaters and Upper Tees have steep channel and middle catchment the land throughout the catchment. gradients and valley sides. In use changes to a greater amount of the mid-catchment, the valley Approximately 687,000 people pasture and woodland. To the east widens out and channel slopes live within the CFMP area land use is mainly arable farmland become much gentler. The lower concentrated in the main towns interspersed with large built up catchment is close to sea level and of Darlington, Hartlepool, areas, including Middlesbrough and predominantly tidal in nature. The Middlesbrough, Redcar and Stockton-on-Tees. Tees Barrage forms an artificial Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees. barrier between the Tees Estuary 4 Environment Agency Tees Catchment Flood Management Plan Map 1 Location and extent of the Tees CFMP area Environment Agency Tees Catchment Flood Management Plan 5 Current and future flood risk Overview of the current flood risk What is at risk? The risk of flooding can be broken There is a long history of flooding Within the Tees catchment the main down into two parts; The chance within the Tees Catchment on most consequences of flooding occur in (probability) of a particular flood of the main rivers in the catchment. the urban areas of the catchment. and the impact (consequence) that Flooding in Croft, Neasham and In total there are almost 8,500 the flood would have if it happened. Yarm has been recorded as far back residential properties and over The probability of a flood relates to as 1684 following heavy rainfall and 1,200 commercial properties at the likelihood of a flood of that size large snowment events. Flooding risk of flooding. This means almost occurring within a one year period, in Darlington from the Skerne and three per cent of the catchment it is expressed as a percentage. Stocksley from the Leven are well population is at risk from the one For example, a one per cent flood documented. Engineering works per cent flood event. has a one per cent chance or 0.01 have been carried out in all of the probability of occurring in any one above areas within the last century Flooding has a neutral impact on year. Within this document the to reduce the risk of flooding in all 11.21 kimometre squared of SSSI, figures for flood risk are shown as these areas but risk will still remain. 8.23 kilometre squared of SAC and the one per cent flood assuming no 10.1 kilometre squared of SPA and formal flood defences and are taken a positive impact on 0.07 kilometre from broadscale mathematical squared SSSI in the CFMP area.