Winter 2013/14 Prolonged heavy rain led to

Flooding on the Somerset Levels

An area of coastal plain and wetland in central Somerset

650km2

Flat land lying close to sea level

Mainly agricultural, arable and grazing land with some peat extraction

Important habitats for birds and plants. 32 Sites of Special Scientific Interest

What are the Levels?

BLACKDOWN HILLS

Where are the Levels?

Think:Give 3 reasons why the Levels are prone to flooding

Ian Liddell-Grainger, MP for Bridgwater, said a huge area of Somerset was "drowning” Homes are uninhabitable, farms are unworkable and jobs are being expensively destroyed. On the Somerset Levels, people are scared and angry – very angry

Jeremy Browne (Taunton Deane MP) said: "People on the levels are unable to get their children to school, they are unable to get to work and local businesses such as pubs have lost a large amount of business."

UK floods: council

declares major incident

on Somerset Levels

Impacts

600 homes affected

Some villages cut off

Major roads blocked

Impacts

Farmers were prevented from grazing their animals.Many cows had to be evacuated or soldFinancial cost likely to be in excess of £10 million

Impacts

There were reports of increased crime.

Local businesses lost trade

Longer journey times for locals due to road closures

Some home owners were forced to evacuate from their property

Impacts

Responses

Rescue boats were deployed to help stranded people

Royal Marines were sent in to help with flood relief

UK government promised at least £30 million to help with repairs

The Flooding on the Levels Action Group FLAG supported people in need of help

Extra police patrols in response to reports of crime

A 20 year flood action plan has been drawn up

Think:Which of these are short and which are long term responses?

The Environment Agency installed giant pumps from the Netherlands to lower water levels

Responses

Traditional solutions to flooding

Embankments alongside main rivers and pumping stations to remove water from the lowest lying land

Traditional solutions to flooding

Man made drains and a system of sluice gates to control water levels

Traditional solutions to flooding

Dredging of rivers to increase their drainage capacity

Traditional solutions to floodingSea defences along the coast to prevent inundation by high tides

Photo Steve DanielsSource: Geograph project

Traditional management options

Government’s 20 year flood action draft plan calls for…

More dredgingBuilding of higher embankmentsRaising of certain key roadsInstallation of permanent pumpsBuilding of a coastal flood protection barrage to hold back highest tides

Prime Minster David Cameron has said that

"money is no object"

Think:What are the arguments for and against hard engineering solutions to flooding?

What are the management options for the future?

Should we spend more money on traditional flood protection?

Should the Levels be allowed to return to a natural wetland state?

Should management strategies be more sustainable?

An alternative management option?

Return the Levels to a natural wetland state

Think:What are pros and cons of “doing nothing”?

Stop spending money on flood protection to protect a relatively small number of properties on a natural flood plain

Create nature reserves and prioritize needs of wildlife

Sustainable management options

Sustainable management strategies could involve:

• Reducing / slowing / storing runoff from surrounding hills by tree planting, river basin management and pond creation

• Improvements to key roads• Allowing selected areas to return to

wetland • Encouraging farmers to invest in more

flood-tolerant activities• Compensate owners of the most

vulnerable property to relocate away from the floodplain

Example questions….

• Name an example of a flood in the rich part of the world.• Describe the primary effects of a flood.• Describe the physical factors that lead to an increase in

flooding.• How can human activities increase the risk of flooding?• Describe the benefits of hard engineering strategies in reducing

flood risk.• What are the benefits of soft engineering approaches to flood

management?• What are the benefits and disadvantages of a flood protection

strategy that you have studied?• Explain how flood management schemes can be made more

sustainable.

Flooding on the Somerset LevelsNoel Jenkins April 2014

Sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/24/uk-floods-major-incident-somerset-levels

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26447005

http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/point-plan-reduce-Somerset-Levels-flooding/story-20528163-detail/story.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_flooding_of_2013–14_on_the_Somerset_Levels

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1386841

All photos by Noel Jenkins unless otherwise indicated

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