FLOOD LIAISON GROUP
31 MAY 2013
The meeting
was held at County Hall, Beverley.
89 INTRODUCTION - The Chairman welcomed delegates to the
meeting and emphasised the need to keep to timescale in order to allow
representatives with questions the opportunity to ask them.
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90 CATCHMENT
BASED APPROACH TO LOCAL FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT - An explanation was given to the Council’s catchment based approach
to Local Flood Risk Management and its significance. A catchment area was a watershed or river
basin which was defined by terminal discharge points and was a discrete
geographical area. Within the East
Riding area there were 15 catchment areas such as Hornsea Mere which was
bounded on the northwest and south by ridges and dispersed water through a
controlled structure into the North Sea.
There were also much more complex catchment arrangements such as those
in the Hull and Haltemprice area where water from the east Wolds flowed into
the City of Hull and discharged via a sewer into the estuary. As a result of the topography it was
necessary for manned intervention in the form of pumping to assist this
process.
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The catchment methodology had been
adopted as it was compatible with environmental legislation, was used in
statutory reporting requirements, was compatible with farming practices and
water company investment plans and was used within local emergency flood
plans. It was also useful as a
mechanism for monitoring pollution and its control.
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It also mirrored the approach
adopted nationally and supported the production of local flood risk
management strategies which were a legal requirement. This documentation would be developed from
the 15 catchment based models and would inform the Local Flood Risk
Investment Plan.
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91 RIVER
HULL ADVISORY GROUP - The River
Hull Valley comprised 600 square miles and included the artificial catchment
of Holderness Drain. There was a
population of approximately 360,000 people in this area of which 100,000 were
at some degree of flood risk. Over
the years the River Hull had been canalised or dyked. In places the land was below sea level. In 2004 the Government issued its
guidelines on making space for water however this had not addressed rural
areas. The river strategy had been
produced by the Environment Agency in order to create a mechanism for
determining investment and had been based on computer modelling utilising
river flooding data however this output had been challenged as it was
considered the output results were erroneous. This was based on the belief that the assumptions used in the
modelling exercise were incorrect as they may have neglected other sources of
flooding.
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As a result the Environment Agency
had agreed to suspend the adoption of the Plan and an Advisory Group had been
set up to look at the issue further.
This Group included representation from MPs, councillors and
professional officers, the Environment Agency and an internal drainage board
and was also looking to involve community groups. The Group would advise the Project Board which was made up of
representatives from professional bodies such as internal drainage boards and
local authorities to assist in the production of an evidence based investment
plan.
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All local, national and regional
processes would feed into this work with a caveat that it would not divert
from wider strategic issues. Overall
the process had brought immense strength in the way the partners had worked
together and remained committed to joint progress.
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It was
confirmed that there was heavy officer input at this stage and work was
ongoing with officers from both East Riding and Hull City Councils. Officers from both authorities were
leading on various projects and there was perceived to be no division of
interest and that schemes were interlinked.
At this stage no real consideration had been given to funding matters
in terms of future funding allocations but it was recognised that it was
crucial that the two authorities continued to work together as water was
boundary ignorant.
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The prominent
benefit of much of this work was for the East Riding area but it was
recognised that this would impact beneficially on Hull. The key schemes from a Hull perspective
were those at Cottingham and Willerby areas.
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It was
confirmed that as part of the work real flood events were considered. Prior to 2007 the Council did not have the
technology to fully support assessments however since that point this had
improved and now there was a good level of verification available. In terms of a model this would be used
elsewhere if appropriate.
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The
Environment Agency was keen to be involved to find a jointly agreed decision
in terms of the River Hull Valley Strategy.
The concern was not about administrative boundaries but flooding and
the modelling work being undertaken was aimed at demonstrating the reality.
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It was
confirmed that survey and assessment work undertaken and academic studies
were considered as part of this process.
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Internal
drainage boards would be fully represented on the Advisory Group and have a
significant role to play in this work.
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92 INSURANCE
RETURNS - The Council had
circulated 6,500 insurance surveys in an effort to seek information from
those members of the public who had been affected by flooding and the impact
this had on their ability to renew or obtain house insurance. The return rate had been 29% which was
considered a good response. Overall
85% of respondees had experienced some difficulty in obtaining or renewing
insurance. Of these 22% had changed
insurers whilst 78% had not or had been unable to obtain an alternative. In 58% of cases costs had increased. The survey had also indicated that
respondees supported measures that would improve flood mitigation
particularly if funding was available to support this. The Council had also written to the
Minister about the issue. It had also
been noted that the discussion between the Government and the Association of
British Insurers had been extended.
Further assessment work would be undertaken of the survey responses
and a report would be submitted to The Cabinet for its consideration and
potentially further correspondence would be entered into with the Minister.
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It was
confirmed that Leven had been consulted as part of this exercise and there
had been a good response.
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It was
confirmed that a letter had been circulated on 30 May 2013 regarding Cherry
Burton flood alleviation works which could be used by residents as proof of
such works having been implemented when seeking insurance however there was
no guarantee that an insurance company would take any notice of this.
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At this
stage, no work had been undertaken to determine whether the unavailability of
house insurance was having an impact on the housing market and impeding the
ability of those wishing to move.
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93 UPDATE
ON LOCAL FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN - Within the 20 year plan the following investment needs had been
identified:-
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Inland Flooding £129m 186 Projects
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Coastal Flooding £9m 12
Projects
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Tidal Flooding £300m Multi Schemes
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There was a need to obtain quality
evidence to support schemes in attempts to obtain funding. This information would be available via
the 15 catchment flood risk management plans as well as the Humber
Strategy. The partnership approach to
funding was recognised as important.
The development of a wider, more comprehensive approach would also
achieve a better understanding of flood issues. It was also imperative that links were made with private
elements in order to widen the approach and attempt to lever in further
funding.
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Concern was
voiced from a parish representative about what was felt to be misleading
media information circulated by the Environment Agency relating to funding
for schemes.
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A number of
submitted bids had now been completed.
In terms of funding £450,000 had been obtained for smaller schemes whilst
there had been £14m awarded for larger proposed works as well as an
indicative sum of £5.5m of European funding.
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94 FLOOD
INVESTIGATIONS - UPDATE
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(i) Goole
2011 - The report had been published in January 2012 regarding the
intense rainfall experienced during this event. This had realised 15 recommendations however some of these
issues had been clouded by subsequent flooding in 2012. The majority of recommendations had been
implemented but the proposal for a scheme to reduce flooding at Millennium
Way had been unrealised owing to a lack of funding. Hydraulic surveys were being undertaken.
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(ii) Pocklington
- The report had been published in February 2013 and had identified the cause
of flooding as being too much rain for a culvert to adequately cope
with. Five recommendations had been
submitted to riparian owners whilst work was ongoing in identifying the case
for future investment. The
Environment Agency had completed its investigations and was in the process of
submitting funding bids as part of this work.
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(iii) Swinefleet
- The drainage system had been overwhelmed as a result of weed growth. The Internal Drainage Board had completed
its clearing work as well as assessing the equipment in place and the
condition of dykes. There had been a
feasibility study undertaken to look at the possibility of separating
highways drainage from the system but the indications were this would not be
practicable. Minor improvement works
had been completed and the implementation of monitoring equipment was also
being considered.
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(iv) Burton
Fleming - The Gypsey Race had overflowed causing widespread
flooding. The water levels had only
recently returned to normal allowing inspection of culverts. The report had been completed and
identified exceptionally high ground water levels as being the main flood
source. Hydraulic analysis had been
undertaken as well as check for restrictions on flows. On the outcome of this work it was
intended that borehole monitoring would provide a means of assessing
groundwater levels.
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(v) Kelleythorpe
- The Gipsey Race had overflowed causing widespread flooding. The Council had worked with riparian
owners to address a number of issues.
Investigations had shown that a section of the Race at the Showground was
culverted and this had been the source of much of the problem as well as
vegetation growth. These issues had
been raised with the riparian owners.
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(vi) Kilham
- Flooding in this area had been caused by high groundwater levels and
investigations were ongoing. To date
this had recognised that there were various restrictions within culverts and
that there was significant clearing required. The responsibility for this work rested with riparian owners.
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(vii) Goole
2012 - The drainage in this area was controlled by pumps at Carr
Lane. The report into the flooding
would be published once the Council had completed its investigation. Yorkshire Water had invested further money
into the station.
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There was a
view expressed from the floor by a town councillor that the 2011 and 2012
flooding were linked by the failure at Carr Lane. It was also suggested that an indication had been given to
residents that a solution had been identified but to date nothing had
materialised. The town councillor also
felt that the problem appeared to be exacerbated by further building on flood
land which was storing up problems for the future.
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In response
Yorkshire Water advised that Atlee Drive was a low lying area in Goole. Studies had been undertaken to understand
the weak points within the system.
This evidence based work had to be undertaken in order to unlock
further funding and identify a solution.
This work had to be completed as it could also potentially identify
wider issues which also needed to be addressed. The Carr Lane pumping station was now at phase two of its work
programme. The current pumping
arrangements would stay in situ and work was now ongoing to move temporary
equipment underground within the next six to eight months. There would be as a result capacity for
extra pumping and increased capacity as part of the later staged work.
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It was
confirmed that the Council had a team whose role was to ensure that riparian
owners were aware of and undertook their responsibilities in relation to
maintenance works. Although the
Council had yet to resort to Court action it had issued a number of
notices. The drawback was that in
many cases there was difficulty in identifying ownership and even having
established this it was often difficult to persuade riparian owners to
undertake the work required and therefore the process could be protracted.
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Although
Howden had not been identified as a priority arising from the flooding in
Goole in 2012 the issue was being addressed and meetings were being scheduled
with the Town Council.
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95 ENVIRONMENT
AGENCY - The Agency had
identified its maintenance programme on an area by area basis. This work ranged from grass cutting to
wracking and culvert inspections. The
grass cutting was undertaken so that flood defences could be inspected to
ensure their viability as protection measures. The schedule of work commenced in May and continued into
November. From the information
available it was not possible to identify specific cutting schedules or when
teams would be allocated to an area to undertake this work. Information however could be made
available and there was some flexibility within the schedules to allow
discussion on what was considered appropriate.
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Although
dredging of water courses was considered a highly emotive issue the Agency
was happy to hold discussions on this to establish whether such a course of
action was necessary.
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Stone Creek
had been dredged by the Internal Drainage Board and this had seen a drop in
water levels by a metre. This offer
to dredge had taken a year to agree with the Agency but was considered more
beneficial than the Agency’s reed cutting exercise which allowed silt to
build up.
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It was
important to continue dialogue to ensure maintenance was undertaken however
the Agency’s maintenance budget was an area that was being heavily hit in
terms of cuts. Accordingly efforts
had been taken to achieve maximum benefit from the funding available
particularly through coordination and cooperation with other agencies that
had water management responsibilities.
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96 UPDATE
ON TELEMETRY, MONITORING AND RESILIENCE - The first monitors had been introduced by the Council in 2009 which
were aimed at highlighting potential problems. Since that point the amount of monitoring equipment dispersed
around the East Riding had increased as had its sophistication. In 2007 it had been recognised that there
was a lack of information and therefore since that point early warning gauges
had been installed. This programme
was continuing which involved the identification of suitable sites. This introduction of sophisticated
monitoring equipment had however realised other issues particularly poor
mobile reception within parts of the East Riding and therefore the Council
had worked with manufacturers to bring about an improvement in this. The upgraded equipment was now being
introduced into all monitoring systems.
Further developments included the introduction of radar level censors
at 46 sites. The data emanating from
these would be used to verify the various hydraulic models that were being
built for the catchment areas and which would make modelling more
reliable. This spread of monitoring
sites across the East Riding allowed the Council to be more proactive in
preparing its responses as well as sharing its experiences with other
agencies. More recently six mobile
pumps had been acquired which were based at depots across the East
Riding. This was part of the
Council’s continuing work to improve resilience within the area.
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Discussions
were ongoing with the Environment Agency about its monitoring of groundwater
levels for drinking water purposes and whether these arrangements could be
utilised to monitor groundwater levels generally.
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97 YORKSHIRE
WATER UPDATE - The modelling work
as a result of flooding in Goole was progressing. At Kilham CCTV checks had been undertaken of the culverting and
the foul sewer cleaned. The condition
of piping had been good but the system had been overwhelmed by the amount of
groundwater within it. As part of
this investigation a number of random pipe connections had been highlighted
and Yorkshire Water was currently looking at how these could be dealt with as
they resulted in more groundwater accessing culverts however capping them was
not an option until the impact of such work was identified.
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On the back of these
investigations there had also been information exchange with the Council to
identify issues and develop plans for those areas. This took into account the opportunity of getting the best
possible value for money for investment whilst avoiding duplication with
other agencies. This included looking
at joint schemes which may not be considered a priority but could resolve
future problems.
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Water companies worked in five year
cycles. Work had commenced on
identifying priorities for the next cycle.
This would result in the development of a business plan which would be
considered by customer forums following which the final draft would be
submitted to OFWAT for comment and final agreement.
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It was
confirmed that a multi-agency meeting was being organised by Howden Town
Council.
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It was
reported that the brick built flood wall at Canal Side West, Market Weighton
Canal, Newport had subsided and that the highway had dropped as well. A request was made for the inclusion of
information indicating where works had been identified and were programmed to
commence.
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Canal Side
East, Market Weighton Canal, Newport it was reported that an element of the
bank had been cut through to allow drainage of the road but there was concern
that once the canal filled, flooding would then ensue.
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The repair of
Collinsons Lane culvert had been well received as had works to the highway.
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There was an
indication from the floor that the latest insurance proposals would result in
a cost levy for everyone on top of the base insurance. The approach to be adopted was being
considered at national level, whilst the presentation at the meeting had related
to the results of a local survey.
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It was
confirmed that the Council was aware of some difficulties being experienced
with the out of hours contact numbers and steps had been taken to improve
arrangements.
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