Dunball Sluice - a vital flood defence asset near Bridgwater - has been successfully refurbished by the Environment Agency. A £9.7million project - part-funded by Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) - has given the sluice another 25 years of operational life. The Sluice plays an important role in helping to protect properties, businesses and internationally important habitats across the Somerset Levels and Moors.
A project part-funded by Somerset Rivers Authority has won the Catchment Restoration Award in the River Restoration Centre's 2025 UK River Prizes. The Holnicote Estate Project, led by the National Trust in West Somerset, was picked for its successes over the last seven years in restoring natural processes to the River Aller and Horner Water catchments.
Work is starting on a major scheme to help protect the dam at Chard Reservoir from extreme future flooding. The project is led by Somerset Council and part-funded by Somerset Rivers Authority. Work is expected to be completed by the summer.
A major milestone is reached in the building of the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier with the arrival of a jack-up barge from Liverpool. It will enable the creation of a cofferdam, an enclosure pumped dry to allow for work below the water level of the River Parrett, and the construction of bearing piles for the Barrier’s foundations.
A new £3.2million programme of flood risk reduction works across Somerset has been approved by the Board of Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA). Fourteen schemes and activities will benefit dozens of different places. The SRA's council tax charge stays at the same level it was set in 2016.
Small grants for works to reduce flooding are now being offered directly to Somerset communities by Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA). The SRA's new Community Flood Action Fund will help people with good local knowledge of flooding problems take the initiative and get things done. Up to £200,000 a year is being made available for practical actions with obvious benefits that can be achieved quite quickly. The Fund is aimed at not-for-profit organisations, such as town and parish councils, charities, social enterprises and community benefit societies.
A major scheme to strengthen Chard Reservoir and help to protect people from potential flooding is due to get underway soon. It will decrease flood risks for nearly 1,000 properties and benefit a wide area from Chard down to Muchelney.
A pioneering river restoration on Exmoor is declared a success after producing many strikingly big benefits for people and nature in its first 12 months. Careful monitoring of the River Aller on the National Trust's Holnicote Estate in West Somerset has shown flood risks reduced and wildlife teeming. The project was part-funded by Somerset Rivers Authority.
As part of Flood Action Week (14 - 20 October 2024), Somerset Rivers Authority is urging people across Somerset to ensure they are prepared for a flood. Flood Action Week is an annual awareness campaign run by the Environment Agency, a partner in Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA).
Here's the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) Annual Report 2023-24. It covers hundreds of locations across Somerset, right down to individual streams, culverts, fields and streets. And it gives you details of many schemes and activities to reduce the risks and impacts of flooding in Somerset, and improve people's lives and the environment.
Somerset's first Climate Adaptation Plan has been produced in Glastonbury, to help that historic town prepare for a new age of flooding, heatwaves and drought. The Plan is the result of months of collaboration between Somerset Wildlife Trust, Glastonbury Town Council, residents, business owners and other organisations. The development of the Plan has been funded by Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA). An 'Adaptation Blitz' is being planned for next year by Somerset Wildlife Trust to implement as many of the Plan's recommendations as possible.
The Future of Water in Somerset is the main theme for a thought-provoking and enjoyable evening of talks and questions on Tuesday 14 May at the Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury. The event's being organised by Somerset Rivers Authority with the South West Heritage Trust. It incudes access to a new show of photographs by the renowned Somerset-based photographer Matilda Temperley, reflecting on ten years since the devastating floods of 2013-14.