Dozens of extra flood works across Somerset are described in the Somerset Rivers Authority Annual Report 2018-19.
Works funded by Somerset Rivers Authority fall into five main categories. They are Dredging and River Management, Land Management including Natural Flood Management, Urban Water Management, Resilient Infrastructure, and Building Local Resilience.
In practice, activities in 2018-19 included:
- shifting 37,500 cubic metres of river silt in just a few days
- repairing the joints between 300 eight-metre slabs of concrete
- winning a national award
- online auctions for farmers
- reviewing new housing estate drains
- designing and installing new road drainage systems
- making moves to tackle climate change
The Annual Report also summarises Somerset Rivers Authority’s spending over the year. It shows that just over £3.8million was spent on activities designed to give Somerset greater flood protection and resilience. Of that total, just under £1.7million came from the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSWLEP) Growth Deal fund. Nearly three quarters of this HotSWLEP money went towards the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier project, which will reduce flood risks to 11,300 homes and 1,500 businesses.
A new feature for this year is a piece by Dr Andrew Pledger of Loughborough University about the scientific studies that have accompanied the SRA’s development of water injection dredging techniques along the River Parrett. These studies have attracted international attention.
Read and download the SRA Annual Report 2018-19
The SRA Annual Report 2018-19 comes in two versions, a detailed 62-page account, and a shorter 16-page summary.
Downloadable PDF documents:
Somerset Rivers Authority 2018-19 Annual Report full length version 3MB
