SRA Annual Report 2021-22: Progress with Somerset’s Flood Action Plan
Of the 59 actions in the Flood Action Plan drawn up in 2014, 52 have been completed, are underway or are now part of the SRA’s annual Enhanced Programmes. Much more detailed information is contained in a presentation given to the SRA Joint Scrutiny Panel on 8th July 2022. This page describes progress against key targets, as set out in the Plan’s Executive Summary.
Dredging
We must: Dredge the first 8km of the Rivers Tone and Parrett.
Achieved.
River Sowy/King’s Sedgemoor drain enhancements
We must: Increase the capacity of the Sowy/King’s Sedgemoor Drain (KSD) recognising that this solution will reduce the cost of pumping during future flooding events.
Being achieved. See p.8-9.
Flood management and infrastructure solutions
We must: Invest in flood management and infrastructure solutions having developed a better understanding of their effectiveness.
Being achieved. The SRA has so far approved more than 220 actions across Somerset, many including a large number of elements. See p.6-7 for an example in this report of how managing a crucial stretch of the River Parrett is now rooted in the “better understanding” gained from years of water injection dredging, silt monitoring and evaluation.
Bridgwater Tidal Barrier
We must: Accelerate the construction of a Barrier or Sluice at Bridgwater with the objective of achieving delivery by 2024.
Being achieved. It is hoped to start preliminary works at the Barrier site in 2022-23, so it is ready for use in 2026. See p.12.
Somerset Rivers Authority
We must: Establish a Somerset Rivers Board that has greater control and responsibility for work to maintain and improve water management of the Levels.
Achieved. The SRA was launched on 31 January 2015 and now covers the whole of Somerset.
Catchment-sensitive farming / Natural Flood Management (NFM)
We must: Support farmers to maximise the benefits from catchment sensitive farming, especially regarding run-off in the upper catchment.
Being achieved. Hundreds of schemes have been delivered and hundreds of NFM structures have been created using funding from a range of sources. The SRA has targeted flooding problems on roads and encouraged better soil managment.
Urban water management
We must: Manage urban run-off by ensuring best practice in planning and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) implementation.
Being achieved. See p.31-34.
Strong local leadership, engaging partners and communities
We must: Ensure strong local leadership with full engagement of local partners and communities.
Being achieved. The SRA is run by a board of partners (see p.4) and a Joint SRA Scrutiny Panel has also been established to help ensure that the SRA is fulfilling its purpose. The SRA’s
Management Group and Technical Group engage with SRA partners and many other organisations and individuals as required, as seen throughout this report: For example, Trees for Water Action Fund volunteers (see p.28-29), dedicated residents in communities affected by flooding (see p.42) and big bodies like the RSPB (1million+ members) and the National Trust (5million+ members).
The Flood Action Plan is now being reviewed and, in autumn 2022, people across Somerset will be asked for their views about what should be done to keep giving Somerset more protection from flooding and greater resilience (see p.4).