Michelle
Dolphin - 22-May-2008 - Almost one year
on from the floods of Summer 2007, the Environment
Agency is inviting people to comment on
plans for flood management across the entire
River Severn catchment, including many of
its tributaries.
The Severn Catchment
Flood Management Plan (CFMP) consultation
document will be issued for consultation
on Monday 26 May 2008. It gives an overview
of the existing flood risk across the catchment
and sets out how we would like to manage
this risk over the next 50 to 100 years.
We want to reduce the
risks to people living in and visiting the
area. Climate change, rises in sea level,
urban development and land management will
all have a major influence on our decisions.
The Severn CFMP covers
an area of approximately 10000 km2. Major
tributaries include the Rivers Vyrnwy, Roden,
Tern, Teme, Leadon, Warwickshire Avon and
Stour.
The main urban areas
of the catchment include Shrewsbury, Telford
and the Black Country, Kidderminster, Worcester
and Gloucester.
Although a lot of the
land use within the River Severn CFMP area
is agricultural, it is home to around 2.3
million people.
Major areas are at risk
from river flooding, as seen from the widespread
floods of Easter 1998, Autumn 2000, and
Summer 2007. They include Shrewsbury, Worcester,
Tewkesbury and Gloucester, as well as towns
on tributary rivers such as Leamington Spa,
Evesham and Kidderminster. In addition there
are significant areas of agricultural land
located in floodplain that are subject to
flooding. The CFMP identifies the locations
currently at risk and predicts how this
might change in the future with scenarios
such as climate change, urban development
and changes in land use.
The CFMP considers ways
of reducing flood risk other than building
flood defences. Measures that may reduce
flood risk include reducing surface water
run off, increasing flood storage, and restoring
river channels and floodplains so they work
more naturally and store water as they have
done historically.
It also considers the
factors that may limit what we can do. They
include the danger to isolated properties,
new economic and residential developments
that can cause flooding elsewhere, and changes
in land use and water quality.
The aim of the CFMP
is to set flood risk management policies
that we believe to be the most viable, effective
and sustainable for the catchment. However,
we at the Environment Agency cannot achieve
reductions in flood risk on our own and
the CFMP identifies how the actions of others
can support improving flood risk management
results.
People’s comments and
input to this draft consultation are vital.
Responses should be sent to: Jo Jolly, National
Capital Programme Management Service, Environment
Agency, Olton Court, 10 Warwick Road, Olton,
Solihull, West Midlands, B92 7HX; email
address: severncfmp@environment-agency.gov.uk
by 4 July 2008.
Project Manager, Jo
Jolly, says: “We need to plan for the future.
Flooding is a natural event, but issues
such as climate change and the way we want
to use our land affect flood risks and how
we manage them. This study, using our technical
experience, knowledge of the catchment and
modern computer models, explains how flooding
affects the catchment now and the policies
we have set will enable us to make sure
that we manage the risks in ways that will
not cause problems for future generations.”
A copy of the Severn
Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP) consultation
document is available on CD from Jo Jolly
at the above address. It will also be available
on our website at www.environment-agency.gov.uk
by the end of this week and can be seen
at the following local libraries:
Newtown Library, Welshpool
Library, LLanidloes Customer Service Point,
Llanfyllin Library Youth & Community
Centre, Llanfair Caereinion Library, Machynlleth
Library, Ellesmere Library, Shrewsbury Reference
Library, Market Drayton Library, Telford
Library, Church Stretton Library, Knighton
Library, Ludlow Library, Bridgnorth Library,
Kidderminster Library, Worcester Library,
Redditch Library, Coventry Central Library,
Warwick Library & Information Centre,
Rugby Library & Information Centre,
Evesham Library, Stratford upon Avon Library
& Information Centre, Tewkesbury Library,
Cheltenham Library, Ledbury Library, Wem
Library & Learning Centre, Wolverhampton
Central Library.
+ More
Environment Agency Wales
investigates Chevron fuel spill
Curig Jones - 19-May-2008
- Environment Agency Wales is working with
the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service to minimise
the environmental impact of a petrol leak
at Rover Way, Cardiff.
The Chevron fuel storage
terminal is regulated by the Agency and
HSE under the Control of Major Accident
Hazards Regulations due to the large quantities
of fuel stored there.
Environment Agency Wales
officers are currently monitoring developments
to ensure that risks to public health and
the environment are minimised.
As soon as it is safe
for Environment Agency Wales officers to
attend the site, they will conduct an extensive
investigation with Chevron under COMAH regulations*.
This will find out how the leak happened
and steps they can take to prevent a similar
incident happening again.
At present, we believe
the fuel that has leaked has not polluted
any water course and is contained on site.
Investigations will continue over the next
few days to monitor if water courses will
be affected.
A clean-up operation
by Chevron will start as soon as the site
is declared safe by South Wales Fire &
Rescue Service.
The Agency will work
with Chevron to monitor any potential migration
of the fuel to local watercourses to limit
environmental damage.
