{"id":481,"date":"2014-02-03T12:20:03","date_gmt":"2014-02-03T12:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/?p=481"},"modified":"2014-02-03T12:22:01","modified_gmt":"2014-02-03T12:22:01","slug":"natural-engineering-offers-solution-against-future-flooding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/2014\/02\/03\/natural-engineering-offers-solution-against-future-flooding\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Natural\u2019 engineering offers solution against future #flooding"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Back-to-nature flood schemes which use the land\u2019s natural defences to slow river flow and reduce flooding could be a cost-effective way of tackling one of the biggest problems facing the UK today.<\/p>\n

\n

The schemes \u2013 which include capturing flow upstream to prevent floods downstream where they are likely to have a greater impact on infrastructure and homes \u2013 have been trialled as part of a five-year research project by experts from Newcastle University in partnership with the Environment Agency.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Using Belford Burn<\/a> in Northumberland as a demonstration, the team have shown that by changing and hindering the natural flow pathways within a small catchment system, it is possible to manage the amount of run-off from the land. This reduces the risk of flooding in low-lying areas and also cuts down on pollution by preventing phosphorous and nitrates from being washed off the land.<\/p>\n

Published this month in the academic journal Science of the Total Environment, the findings were presented last week at the House of Commons Office of Science and Technology to inform the Government\u2019s Environment White Paper.<\/p>\n

Research lead, Dr Mark Wilkinson<\/a>, who carried out the work while at Newcastle University and is now based at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, said: \u201cClimate projections for the UK suggest that total rainfall during winter months will continue to rise and with it the risk of flooding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we have shown at Belford is that by employing so-called \u2018soft engineering solutions\u2019 to restrict the progress of water through a catchment \u2013 disconnecting fast-flow pathways and adding storage \u2013 we have been able to reduce the risk of flooding in the lower areas and, most importantly, in the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cBelford is not unique and there are many other areas around the UK where these solutions could make a significant impact and potentially protect peoples\u2019 homes from some of the more severe flooding we are seeing at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strategies for Natural Flood Management (NFM)<\/p>\n

Natural Flood Management aims to reduce the downstream maximum water height of a flood \u2013 the peak \u2013 or delay the arrival of the flood peak downstream, increasing the time available to prepare.<\/p>\n

This is done by restricting the progress of water through a catchment and relies on one, or a combination of four key mechanisms which work with the environment to provide a sustainable solution to the problem:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Storing water such as ponds, ditches and field attenuation bunds<\/p>\n

\u2022 Increasing soil infiltration through the creation of \u2018infiltration zones\u2019 to help water get into the soil at certain locations, for example tree belts.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Slowing water by increasing resistance to its flow, for example planting in the floodplain or riverside woodland<\/p>\n

\u2022 Redirecting the water by channelling it away from the main flow into temporary water storage areas or buffer zones to hold the water back until the flood peak drops or restoring river meanders. This increases the length of the river and decreases its slope, slowing down the flow<\/p>\n

Costing around \u00a3200,000, the Belford scheme was installed after a study of the area suggested the cost of a full conventional flood defence scheme for the town would cost in the region of \u00a32.5 m.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation in Belford is typical of many rural towns around the UK that are at risk of flooding,\u201d explains Dr Paul Quinn<\/a>, based in the School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at Newcastle University.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a town with a long history of flooding but the floods tend to be short-lived \u2013 albeit severe \u2013 and only tend to affect a small number of properties. A feasibility study concluded that traditional flood defences were not suitable because of the high-cost, lack of space for flood walls and banks and the relatively small number of properties involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just five months after the feasibility report was published, the July 2007 storm hit the North of England and ten homes and businesses in Belford were flooded. It was after this event the Newcastle University demonstrator project was launched.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the main reasons why the Belford scheme has been such a success is because we\u2019ve had the support of the community and local landowners behind us,\u201d explains Dr Quinn, who has since carried out a second Catchment Management Scheme at Netherton Burn, Northumberland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no single solution to flooding \u2013 no \u2018silver bullet\u2019 \u2013 but what the Belford scheme has shown us is what can be achieved with local support and a thorough understanding of the land and the local environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source information:<\/strong>\u201cA framework for managing runoff and pollution in the rural landscape using a catchment systems engineering approach.\u201d M Wilkinson, P Quinn, N Barber, J Jonczyk. Science of the Total Environment January 2014. Volumes 468\u2013469, 15 January 2014, Pages 1245\u20131254<\/p>\n

DOI: 10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2013.07.055<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0048969713008231<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.thejournal.co.uk\/news\/north-east-news\/pioneering-northumberland-flood-defence-scheme-6641514 <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back-to-nature flood schemes which use the land\u2019s natural defences to slow river flow and reduce flooding could be a cost-effective way of tackling one of the biggest problems facing the UK today. The schemes \u2013 which include capturing flow upstream … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4909,"featured_media":484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4909"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":492,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481\/revisions\/492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/ceser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}