Yesterday (on our return from doing The Not Abingdon Blog), I received the latest newsletter from the Environment Agency (EA) about reducing flooding in Abingdon. Here is a summary …
The newsletter brings disappointing news concerning the proposed flood storage area for the River Ock west of the A34. This would have held back flood water whenever there is a large deluge that threatens properties. The cost of the project has gone up to around £9.7m., since embankments cannot be built on existing land but need excavated foundations. So far £4m has been pledged by the partnership of local councils and national government. Plans will not be developed further, and the newsletter says ‘Our partnership do not feel there is a realistic prospect of securing this amount of funding in the short term… The scheme will be kept under review.‘
The EA are continuing to investigate natural flood management to hold back water from flooding Abingdon and have employed a project manager to consult with land owners upstream on the River Ock. This would involve measures such as small wood dams, and planting hedges and woodland to slow river flow.
The EA have also been looking at temporary flood barriers, with pumps, to reduce the impact of flooding for specific areas in Abingdon such as Tower Close, Meadowside, Hermitage Road, Healey Close, Potenger Way and Chaunterell Way.
The latest newsletter is not yet on the EA website at https://www.oxfordshirefloodtoolkit.com/contacts/abingdon-flood-alleviation-scheme/ but probably will be soon.
(Pictures of flooding from this blog in July 2007.)
Where’s all that EU money when you need it? Down the river, I imagine.
Dredgers used to dredge the Thames at one time. They used to dredge at Abingdon, but an E U directive said that rivers could not be dredged. No other country took any notice and they still dredge their rivers and ditches. But as usual the U K is the only country to follow E U directives to the letter and dredging was stopped in the U K. An E U ruling said that farmers could not dredge ditches and as for many years leave the spoil at the side of the ditch but had to take it away at considerable cost so many stopped dredging ditches.
Janet, It’s not true the EU has banned dredging. This article explains it:
https://blogs.ec.europa.eu/ECintheUK/suggesting-that-the-eu-is-to-blame-for-floods-is-completely-without-foundation/
The article makes clear that the choice of whether to dredge is up to each country – i.e. it’s our decision.
If only we had a large reservoir built…that’d solve the issue. If only….if only…
Meanwhile, I think it is reasonable to assume that any flooding hence forth will be almost entirely, if not completely, due to BREXIT. Oh, and droughts.