SRA Annual Report 2023-24: River Brue modelling
The SRA commissioned a fresh look at flood risks associated with the River Brue, because existing modelling done in 2014 was inadequate and out of date. Substantially improved modelling was completed in November 2023.
AW Water Engineering Ltd and consultants at WSP studied how much water the Brue conveys, and how water moves – and is moved – around the river’s lowland catchment.
SRA partners helped. The Environment Agency, in particular, provided data and reviewed the work done.
Maps indicating likely flooding have been produced for various scenarios. Data can also be examined in other formats, such as detailed tables and cross-section graphs.
The new modelling is expected to be most useful for studying the impact of possible flood risk reduction works on high flows and flood flows, main rivers and moor areas. Possible initiatives could include seeking to optimise pumping procedures, increasing the capacity and connections of main river and larger rhyne channels, and testing proposed environmental schemes and upland catchment improvements. Because the SRA’s primary focus is on flooding, the model was not designed to be as useful for studying low flows (droughts) or for assessing works just on smaller rhynes.
Those reservations aside, the model is a valuable tool for organisations proposing projects along the River Brue, especially in the wake of the flooding that badly affected the Brue valley over the autumn and winter of 2023-24. Using the model will provide evidence for how and where a variety of improvements should work best and how any competing interests might be reconciled.
Somerset Council, as an SRA partner, agreed at a meeting in April 2024 that its Flood and Coastal Water Management team would lead a project to understand different scenarios in the Brue catchment, test the pros and cons of possible interventions, and develop recommendations for action.