Flooding of urban housing through muddled DEFRA thinking. Or lack of rational thought.

[Cowabunga]

According to The Telegraph, DEFRA is calling for the 'restoration' of wetlands and peat bogs to avoid flooding. This in preference to stopping another 35,000 houses being build on flood plains already in the planning pipeline.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...ds-peat-bogs-must-restored-protect-thousands/ May require a subscription.
QUOTE
Despite the recent flooding, the 10 English authorities with the highest number of homes already at serious flood risk plan to build a total of about 35,000 homes in“high-risk” flood areas, according to a report by the Financial Times.

The Environment Agency is preparing for a potential 4°C rise in global temperature and argues that urgent action is needed to tackle more frequent, intense flooding and sea level rise.

A "natural strategy" is beginning to be implemented, including the re-introduction of beavers at certain sites to build dams which prevent widespread flooding . END QUOTE

It seems to me that DEFRA have gone stark raving mad. Bonkers!
Why not stop more building on flood plains, which will almost inevitably still flood from time to time?
They appear to be serious about beavers, who only build dams that hold water back until the dam is full, so don't slow down any flow whatsoever. Besides which their dams are not engineered to any statutory safety standard and are prone to sudden collapse, which would certainly spoil many people's day downstream.
Thirdly have they not been educated to understand that wetlands and bogs produce vast quantities of methane [so called 'natural gas'] that is now a climate change pariah and seemingly top of the gases that agriculture needs to 'urgently' reduce production of?

This country is fast going to the dogs, it really is!

 

[fgc325j]

According to The Telegraph, DEFRA is calling for the 'restoration' of wetlands and peat bogs to avoid flooding. This in preference to stopping another 35,000 houses being build on flood plains already in the planning pipeline.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...ds-peat-bogs-must-restored-protect-thousands/ May require a subscription.
QUOTE
Despite the recent flooding, the 10 English authorities with the highest number of homes already at serious flood risk plan to build a total of about 35,000 homes in“high-risk” flood areas, according to a report by the Financial Times.

The Environment Agency is preparing for a potential 4°C rise in global temperature and argues that urgent action is needed to tackle more frequent, intense flooding and sea level rise.

A "natural strategy" is beginning to be implemented, including the re-introduction of beavers at certain sites to build dams which prevent widespread flooding . END QUOTE

It seems to me that DEFRA have gone stark raving mad. Bonkers!
Why not stop more building on flood plains, which will almost inevitably still flood from time to time?
They appear to be serious about beavers, who only build dams that hold water back until the dam is full, so don't slow down any flow whatsoever. Besides which their dams are not engineered to any statutory safety standard and are prone to sudden collapse, which would certainly spoil many people's day downstream.
Thirdly have they not been educated to understand that wetlands and bogs produce vast quantities of methane [so called 'natural gas'] that is now a climate change pariah and seemingly top of the gases that agriculture needs to 'urgently' reduce production of?

This country is fast going to the dogs, it really is!

And the cynic in me says - "what do you expect from people educated beyond their natural
intelligence". Also, they have to look busy in order to justify their existence.

 

[spin cycle]

i love it 'beavers to prevent flooding' ....only defra

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Happy Christmas @Cowabunga

 

[quattro]

About time the government got some advisers from Holland and do away with the ea and bury them in some badger setts in a river bank

 

[robin banks]

About time the government got some advisers from Holland and do away with the ea and bury them in some badger setts in a river bank

Surely that is the logical place to get advice from

 

[quattro]

Surely that is the logical place to get advice from

If they can’t sort it nobody can
How the ea keep getting away with their excuses I don’t know
Boris is getting ministry of defence spending looked into, someone wants to be telling them to look into the ea
I just don’t get wildlife excuses as if there’s flooding it will do more harm to wildlife than drainage or whatever it needs

 

[Yale]

Come on @holwellcourtfarm .

 

[deleted user 837354]

I read about this as well. You couldn't make it up. Have a problem with flooding so flood the joint ahead of time? What the fudge?

They must realise these wetland habitats will be fekked if they are under water for weeks at a time? Not to mention that wetland areas release ship-loads of methane, a known green house gas?

 

[brigadoon]

Flood control
A beaver dam has a certain amount of freeboard above the water level. When heavy rains occur, the river or lake fills up and the dam gradually releases the extra stored water. Often this is all that is necessary to reduce the height of the flood wave moving down the river, and will reduce or eliminate damage to human structures. Flood control is achieved in other ways as well. The surface of any stream intersects the surrounding water table. By raising the stream level, the gradient of the surface of the water table above the beaver dam is reduced, and water near the beaver dam flows more slowly into the stream. This further helps in reducing flood waves, and increases water flow when there is no rain. Beaver dams also smooth out water flow by increasing the area wetted by the stream. This allows more water to seep into the ground where its flow is slowed. This water eventually finds its way back to the stream. Rivers with beaver dams in their head waters have lower high water and higher low water level

In other words leaky dams which act to regulate water flow - might be easier just to build them mind you.

 

[Muddyroads]

I keep telling our landlords that wetlands can only act as a sponge if they’re allowed to dry out at times (summer preferably). The OP is a classic to end the year on!

 

[spin cycle]

i've a blocked culvert at the mo....so i'm ahead of the game ,,,,,,thinking i'll get some decoy beavers then apply for some cash.......mind you finding decoy beavers isn't easy....and googling 'inflatable beaver' sent my pc security into meltdown

 

[Yale]

So that’s why the council don’t clean the roadside culverts!

 

[rob1]

Flood control
A beaver dam has a certain amount of freeboard above the water level. When heavy rains occur, the river or lake fills up and the dam gradually releases the extra stored water. Often this is all that is necessary to reduce the height of the flood wave moving down the river, and will reduce or eliminate damage to human structures. Flood control is achieved in other ways as well. The surface of any stream intersects the surrounding water table. By raising the stream level, the gradient of the surface of the water table above the beaver dam is reduced, and water near the beaver dam flows more slowly into the stream. This further helps in reducing flood waves, and increases water flow when there is no rain. Beaver dams also smooth out water flow by increasing the area wetted by the stream. This allows more water to seep into the ground where its flow is slowed. This water eventually finds its way back to the stream. Rivers with beaver dams in their head waters have lower high water and higher low water level

In other words leaky dams which act to regulate water flow - might be easier just to build them mind you.

Except that clay only allows water to seep in very very slowly, I moved a pile of dirt the other day despite all the ground around it being totally soaked the clay was as damp as it would normally would be and it varies very little below around 18inches year round,unless of course there is a good crop on the ground sucking the water out

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Wetland restoration is a good thing in itself imho......

Building houses in Flood Zone 3 and 3a (high risk and functional flood plain) is bonkers though. The argument from government goes We have got so many houses already in the flood plain on location X that: we HAVE to maintain its flood defences at significant cost, the services are all in that location and it would be too expensive to create all the services in a new location.

I got tired of arguing that this just perpetuates the problem and left the EA.

Some of the worst examples are:
The Isle of Axholme
Canvey Island
Barking Riverside
Thamesmead

Oh, and ALL the climate models point to flooding becoming more frequent and severe.

 

[Cowabunga]

Flood control
A beaver dam has a certain amount of freeboard above the water level. When heavy rains occur, the river or lake fills up and the dam gradually releases the extra stored water. Often this is all that is necessary to reduce the height of the flood wave moving down the river, and will reduce or eliminate damage to human structures. Flood control is achieved in other ways as well. The surface of any stream intersects the surrounding water table. By raising the stream level, the gradient of the surface of the water table above the beaver dam is reduced, and water near the beaver dam flows more slowly into the stream. This further helps in reducing flood waves, and increases water flow when there is no rain. Beaver dams also smooth out water flow by increasing the area wetted by the stream. This allows more water to seep into the ground where its flow is slowed. This water eventually finds its way back to the stream. Rivers with beaver dams in their head waters have lower high water and higher low water level

In other words leaky dams which act to regulate water flow - might be easier just to build them mind you.

Only if where they build their dam is flat, which is unlikely in the UK where streams mostly run in some kind of valley. They are in cloud-cuckoo-land. Let’s ignore the damage that beavers do to river banks and trees and the potential dam breaches, because they are cuddly furry critters [from a distance].

 

[Cowabunga]

Wetland restoration is a good thing in itself imho......

Building houses in Flood Zone 3 and 3a (high risk and functional flood plain) is bonkers though. The argument from government goes We have got so many houses already in the flood plain on location X that: we HAVE to maintain its flood defences at significant cost, the services are all in that location and it would be too expensive to create all the services in a new location.

I got tired of arguing that this just perpetuates the problem and left the EA.

Some of the worst examples are:
The Isle of Axholme
Canvey Island
Barking Riverside
Thamesmead

Oh, and ALL the climate models point to flooding becoming more frequent and severe.

Forget climate models, which may or may not be accurate. Historically these areas have flooded and the built up areas cause even more flooding downstream because they release all water as it falls, causing very sudden and flash floods.
The EA don’t even maintain many waterways to ensure the free flow of water any longer. Maybe they should look back to see why they dredged and weeded waterways in days gone by.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Forget climate models, which may or may not be accurate. Historically these areas have flooded and the built up areas cause even more flooding downstream because they release all water as it falls, causing very sudden and flash floods.
The EA don’t even maintain many waterways to ensure the free flow of water any longer. Maybe they should look back to see why they dredged and weeded waterways in days gone by.

Actually one of the regular reasons for clearing silt when I joined (1991) was to keep the diggers busy, I kid you not!

 

[milkloss]

They need to make their minds up: wetlands are one of the biggest sources of methane. Or is it just another excuse to blame farmers?

Climate change: Methane pulse detected from South Sudan wetlands

Emissions from the region made a major contribution to global greenhouse gas levels in 2010-2016.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mr Mackay]

A few yrs back a neighbour sprayed a field in October , and there followed a week or 2 of heavy heavy rain ,which washed the spray into the landrains where it leached into the ditch/canal.
Once the Enviroment Nazis had combed the area for the suspect , they came to see me being as the last part of the watercourse is my ditch !
I always recall after we had discussed if it was me or not , (and we had cleaned said ditch end out a few months before) and the one said to me 'You didnt help matters by cleaning out all the rushes and silt !!!'
We all need to be a bit like Moses - holding the effing waters back lads !!