Bridgwater Tidal Barrier gets go-ahead from Government
Construction of the £100m Bridgwater Tidal Barrier has moved a step nearer. A Barrier will help to protect some 13,000 homes and businesses from flooding.
Ten free Somerset shows with films new and old
A new Somerset film called Down by the River premieres in February, with ten free screenings countywide. Each event will also include an entertaining and thought-provoking selection of Somerset archive films. Down by the River is a documentary about the inspiring ways that communities across Somerset have responded to flooding.
Hands-on activities help pupils learn about flooding
Children enjoyed learning more about flooding when Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) and Environment Agency staff visited St John & St Francis Church School in Bridgwater. Get in touch with the SRA if your school would like a school visit.
‘When you know the water’s coming’ by Liv Torc
A piece written and performed by the Somerset poet Liv Torc for the United Nations' COP26 climate change conference held in Glasgow in November 2021. For this personal take on prospects for the Somerset Levels and Moors, organised through the international Hot Poets project, Liv worked with partners in Adapting the Levels, which is part-funded by Somerset Rivers Authority.
How the Somerset Moors work
An updated version of the Environment Agency's guide to How the Somerset Moors work. It shows in detail how water is moved around the Moors when the River Parrett and the River Tone flood. Rivers, Moors, spillways, sluice gates and pumping stations interact in complex ways.
Carhampton flood works now focused on B3191 Blue Anchor road
Up-to-date information about what's happening on roads in Carhampton this November 2021. Works to reduce flooding are being done for Somerset Rivers Authority by Somerset County Council's Highways department. The B3191 Blue Anchor road is currently closed.
Revised road closure plans as A39 Carhampton flood work progresses
SRA-funded works to reduce flooding on the A39 at Carhampton are ahead of schedule, so new road closure arrangements are being brought in. From Tuesday 19 October, on weekdays only, not Saturday and Sunday, the A39 at Carhampton will instead be closed from 6.30pm to 11.30pm. These evening works are expected to be completed by Thursday 28 October.
Enlarged rivers to safeguard Somerset Levels
Two rivers are being made bigger this autumn to help reduce flood risks across 150 square miles of the Somerset Levels and Moors. The River Sowy-King’s Sedgemoor Drain Enhancements Scheme (Phase One) is being delivered for Somerset Rivers Authority by the Environment Agency. The scheme is being partly funded by Growth Deal money from the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, as part of a wide-ranging programme of works spread over several years costing £7.2 million.
Team effort to reduce flooding on A39 in Carhampton
Works to reduce flooding on the main road serving West Somerset will be carried out from Monday 11 October. Somerset County Council's Highways department has teamed up with Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) for a £350,000 scheme of major drainage improvements on the A39 at Carhampton Cross and the B3191 Eastbury Road. The extent of the work means road closures will be needed. Diversions will be in place from Williton and Dunster out across Exmoor. Every effort will be made to get the works done as quickly as possible.
Somerset Prepared 2021 offers residents free training this October
Free training about how to prepare for emergencies and strengthen communities is being offered to Somerset residents this October. A dozen interactive online sessions are being run as part as Somerset's fourth annual Community Resilience event, organised by the Somerset Prepared partnership, which includes Somerset Rivers Authority.
New app gets Somerset walking and talking about climate change
Somerset Trails is a new FREE mobile app. It gives people active and interesting opportunities to explore the local impacts of climate change, and looks at ways that nature could help Somerset adapt to increased risks of flooding and drought.
Out now: Somerset Rivers Authority Annual Report 2020-21
The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) Annual Report 2020-21 covers dozens of activities funded by the SRA between the start of April 2020 and the end of March 2021. During that time, the SRA spent £3.344million on extra flood protection and resilience works across Somerset.