Somerset Rivers Authority End of Year Report 2017-18
Somerset Rivers Authority’s End of Year Report 2017-18 covers all activities funded by the SRA between the start of April 2017 and the end of March 2018.
Get a PDF of the SRA End of Year Report 2017-18 WITH PHOTOS (40 pages – 2MB)
Get a PDF of the SRA End of Year Report 2017-18 NO PHOTOS (29 pages – 0.5MB)
Alternatively, use the links in blue in the sections below to explore different parts of the Report.
Spending
In 2017-18, the SRA spent just over £3.6million on actions designed to give Somerset extra flood protection and resilience. Partners delivering work for the SRA also committed to spend a further £1.8m, so when all of the final invoices have been submitted and paid, the total spent on works on the ground across Somerset in 2017-18 will have been more than £5m.
Key projects
The SRA backs several key projects, using Growth Deal funding from the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSWLEP). Five schemes were supported in 2017-18: Bridgwater Tidal Barrier, Sowy / King’s Sedgemoor Drain (KSD) enhancements, Natural Flood Management (Hills to Levels), the Taunton Strategic Flood Alleviation Improvements Scheme and dredging activities on main rivers. A new and important subset is the ongoing development of a Strategic Approach to Mitigation. This Strategic Approach work is being led for the SRA by Natural England. Its main aims are to reduce costs and risks, to help schemes such as the Barrier, Sowy/KSD and further dredging to go ahead, and to secure a wide range of environmental benefits.
Workstreams
SRA actions are grouped in five workstreams: Dredging & River Management (W1), Land Management (W2), Urban Water Management (W3), Resilient Infrastructure (W4) and Building Community Resilience (W5). W1 currently gets the largest share of SRA spending, for activities such as the innovative use of quicker, cheaper water injection dredging techniques along 5km of the Parrett down from Burrowbridge. Other successes include two national awards for the Hills To Levels partnership (W2), initiatives on Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (W3), improvements on the A38 and A372 plus extra maintenance and investigations (W4), and grants and training (W5).
Flood Action Plan
Everything the SRA does is rooted in Somerset’s 20 Year Flood Action Plan (FAP), drawn up during the devastating floods of 2013-14. The SRA itself emerged from this Plan, and now oversees it. Part 4 of the End of Year Report 2017-18 looks at progress against key FAP targets.