SRA Annual Report 2021-22: Activities in Rode near Frome
The main aims of this project are to reduce flood risks to more than 25 properties and nine roads in Rode, and to enhance parts of the local environment through techniques of Natural Flood Management (NFM).
This project grew out of an earlier SRA-funded programme of investigations into sub-catchments across Mendip that could benefit from extra maintenance. It is being delivered for the SRA by Mendip District Council’s flood risk consultant working with other SRA partners and contractors.
Early on, the team conversed with villagers to glean their local knowledge, and listen to their concerns and aspirations for this project. In March 2021, CCTV and topographical surveys were carried out.
Rode Activities in 2021-22
Drawing on earlier phases of research, the project team has been building a computer model to enable testing of the capacity of Rode’s drains and watercourses, and to help assess the long-term benefits of different possibilities for action.
The team has also been working closely with landowners, discussing what could be done in watercourses upstream to help slow the flow of water and minimise the amounts of sediment being carried downstream. One result has been that at Seymour Court Farm in autumn 2021 a new field drain was installed between Green Park Pond and Green Park Lane.
More improvements are planned in autumn 2022 to make better use of flood attenuation ponds upstream and enhance the river corridor.
In spring 2021 it was discovered that a section of culverted watercourse beneath Lower Street has a timber frame which holds up the pavement. Vehicle movements here have led to a small collapse, so temporary safety barriers have been put in place. The old wood will need to be replaced with stronger materials. In the meantime, the site is being monitored by Somerset County Council’s Highways Department and Mendip’s team continue to liaise with villagers.