Water UK

Water UK welcomes Pitt Review

25/06/08

Water UK welcomes the direction and key recommendations of Sir Michael Pitt’s review of last summer’s floods, published today.

Among the key issues for the water industry highlighted by the Review are:

• Clarification of roles and responsibilities for managing flooding, mirroring the Government’s announcement earlier this month to give a strategic role to the Environment Agency and specific responsibilities to local authorities;

• The need for an improved understanding and management of flood risk, particularly for critical infrastructure. This includes incorporating the likely impacts of climate change, an area where the industry has already undertaken a great deal of work;

• Improved building and planning development and control and removal of the automatic right of connection of surface water to the public sewer, which the industry has long campaigned for;

• Involving utility service providers in emergency response procedures; and

• Improved sharing of appropriate information, moving from a 'need to know' to a 'need to share' approach.

Water UK’s own independently chaired review of the floods will publish its second report on 29 July. It will complement the Pitt Review and the recommendations will be focused on action the water industry needs to take, on its own or in collaboration with others. See the terms of reference for the review.

The first Water UK report was published in February 2008 and concentrates on the emergency response to the floods. This was intended as a 'wake up call' for the industry and describes a series of recommendations that water companies need to action to provide a better response the next time such events happen.

http://www.water.org.uk/home/news/press-releases/pitt-review

RSPB - Working with Nature to cut Flooding

Restoring the UK’s natural flood defences has emerged as a key recommendation of Sir Michael Pitt’s review into last year’s disastrous floods.

Sir Michael’s report has said planning for future floods should include ‘working with natural processes,’ to create a countryside more able slow floodwater and to store it away from towns and cities.

In the process, wetlands would be created, providing homes for wildlife and places for people to relax and enjoy nature.

Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB’s Director of Conservation, said: “We are very pleased Sir Michael’s review has recognised the importance of working with nature to reduce flooding.

“Restoring our rivers’ natural floodplains would allow them to store vast amounts of water during floods while provide many benefits to people and wildlife at other times.

“New areas of wet grassland, reedbed or wet woodlands could all hold on to floodwaters and slow their progress across the landscape.

“On farmland too, simple measures like more hedgerows and trees could help to slow flood waters and in our uplands, the restoration of peat bogs could have a similar effect.”

He added: “It is now up the authorities to act on the recommendations in Sir Michael’s report.

“When the Environment Agency comes to approve and fund new flood defence schemes, we hope they will give due weight to those which make use of the natural processes.”

See RSPB site for more details:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/media/releases/details.asp?id=tcm:9-193189

EA welcomes findings of Pitt review

The Environment Agency today warmly welcomed Sir Michael Pitt’s comprehensive final review into the 2007 summer floods as a significant contribution to managing the future flood risk in England and Wales.

In welcoming the report, Chief Executive Paul Leinster said the Environment Agency had highlighted the need for further clarity on the responsibilities for flooding from surface water drains, infrastructure protection, more publicly available information on flood risk, and additional resources to help adapt to climate change as key issues to be swiftly taken forward.

“Sir Michael’s report puts the spotlight back on the need for the country to be prepared and able to respond to the devastating impacts of flooding. He covers a wide range of topics – many directly related to our work – and all of which are essential to better protecting people and the environment from flooding into the future,” Paul Leinster said.

“It’s also important that the real risk of climate change has been acknowledged by Sir Michael Pitt. Recent flood events have highlighted the urgency of adapting to the potential effects of climate change to protect lives, property, the economy and the environment. Now that the Government’s Foresight report has been reviewed, and it’s clear that we are going to face less predictable weather and more extreme events such as flash flooding, investment in flood risk management should continue to rise to keep up with the changing climate,” Paul Leinster said.

“This report is comprehensive and well researched, and overall we’re pleased it’s raised issues of importance and ways forward, for not only the Environment Agency, but for local authorities, utilities and emergency responders.

“It’s also encouraging that the report reinforces the importance of individuals in taking responsibility for protecting themselves and their properties. We can’t stop the rain but we can all work together to reduce the impacts of flooding,” Paul Leinster said.

People can check their flood risk and find advice on how to prepare for flooding at www.environment-agency.gov.uk. To sign up to the Environment Agency’s free Floodline Warnings Direct, call 0845 988 1188.

For link to EA website, follow the link below:
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/2072209

CLA supports Pitt Review

The CLA today (25 June 2008) gave its support to many of the measures recommended in the Pitt Review into last summer's devastating floods.

The rural economy experts also welcomed Environment Minister Phil Woolas' statement that the Government was ready to back up the proposals by "providing authorities with the powers to ensure that organisations and landowners responsible fulfil their obligations, for example by maintaining drains".

CLA President Henry Aubrey-Fletcher said: "The CLA supports this approach and it serves as a reminder to the Environment Agency and other relevant authorities that they need to get their house in order where they have a responsibility for maintaining water courses. This applies equally upstream and downstream of towns and villages but the agency must be provided with meaningful funds in order to undertake these additional tasks.

"Land managers and farmers are ideally placed to help prevent downstream flooding through managed flood alleviation projects. We have been consulting with partners to try to find ways of funding this type of scheme through environmental contracts. There is huge potential if the Government can be flexible enough to encourage environmental markets that can then save millions of pounds downstream."

The CLA will be looking closely at how the extra £37.5 million that has been made available is spent - along with how the proposals are implemented so that land managers can make a positive contribution.

Sir Michael Pitt's review – launched today (25 June 2008) - recommends working with natural processes to reduce flooding risk.

For more, follow the link here:
http://www.cla.org.uk/News_and_Press/News_Archive/Flood_and_Coastal_Defences/Flooding/10313.htm/

NFU speaks out on Flooding

Farmers miss out on flooding fund

23 June 2008

Farmers and growers will not share in the EU flooding fund set up for damage caused by the flooding during summer 2007 despite suffering losses worth millions of pounds.

The EU Commission has announced 162.4 million euros from the European Solidarity Fund to help deal with the 'consequences of devastating floods' that hit the UK last summer.

However, the NFU is angered none of this money will find its way to helping farmers and growers who had homes ruined, crops destroyed and livestock put at risk. Vice President Paul Temple has spoken with farmers across the country who lost crops and suffered severe economic damage.

"Farmers and growers bore significant costs and disruption during last summer's floods with estimates of almost 50,000ha being flooded", he said.

"While the EU's announcement of 162m euros is obviously welcome for the nation as a whole, it again highlights the totally inadequate assistance made available to farmers and growers last summer.

"While farm businesses suffered losses of up to £250,000, help was limited to £2,500. Farmers are seeking recognition of the problems that occurred and are looking for local solutions to be found.

"We hope Sir Michael Pitt, in his report on the summer floods to be published on Wednesday (June 25), will recommend increased help following the flooding of last summer."

Watercourse maintenance key to effective flood risk management

24 June 2008

Good watercourse maintenance is vital in both flood risk and water level management and the Pitt Review must ensure adequate attention is paid to the issue says the NFU and the Association of Drainage Authorities.

Both the NFU and ADA made watercourse maintenance a key point of their submissions to the Pitt Review into last summer's floods, the report of which is due to be published tomorrow (Wednesday).

NFU Vice President Paul Temple said: "Inadequate maintenance is one of the key concerns of our members and is the reason why many of them suffered prolonged flooding, sometimes lasting several weeks, following the events of last summer. Efficient and suitable maintenance activities may not have prevented the exceptional flooding we saw but would certainly have reduced the impact in some areas and allowed many communities to recover much quicker. It is vital the Pitt Review considers the maintenance issues that arose following last summer's floods and recommends action is taken to deal with them."

Henry Cator, chairman of the ADA, added: "Recent years have seen a change of emphasis to strategy and warnings. Welcome though these are a better balance is needed between these important activities and the delivery of capital works and maintenance out in the field if we are to significantly reduce actual flood risk to people, their property, and the nation's infrastructure.

"In increasingly stormy and unpredictable climatic conditions, there is, in my view, unlikely to be any substitute for increased national expenditure on the whole range of activity we include in flood risk management - and maintenance is crucial. It seems to me there is a worrying lack of will to protect our national assets. We must do better than just 'give up' in this way."

For link to NFU website, see here:
http://www.nfuonline.com/x28559.xml

Natural England - Press Release

Natural flood prevention should be part of long-term flood defence plans, says Natural England

25 June 2008

Any long-term approach to flood risk management must include the vital role played by the natural environment, says Natural England today (Wednesday 25 June) in response to Sir Michael Pitt’s review into last year’s summer floods.

In particular, Natural England warmly welcomes Sir Michael Pitt's review recommendation that Natural England works with Defra and the Environment Agency with partners to establish a programme through Catchment Flood Management Plans and Shoreline Management Plans to achieve greater working with natural processes (Recommendation 27).

By increasing the natural capacity of our urban and rural environments to absorb and hold excess water, we can help to slow run-off and dramatically decrease the risk of flooding. Thriving wetlands, restored peat bogs and free-flowing rivers are recommended by Natural England to reduce the harmful effects of flooding. This requires an integrated, landscape-scale approach from the uplands right the way through to the coast.

Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of Natural England, said: “Natural flood defences could be the key to long-term flood prevention. Well-managed landscapes not only play a crucial role in our need to cope with the increased probability of extreme rainfall, but they have huge potential benefits for biodiversity, pollution reduction and carbon storage."

Natural England supports the recommendation that the Government commits to a strategic long-term approach to its investment in flood risk management planning up to 25 years ahead. Natural England would also like to see green infrastructure as central to any new developments or as part of regeneration projects as parks and green spaces within built up areas as these can help to reduce flooding.

“'Flood friendly’ land management is not a replacement for, but a necessary complement to existing flood defence. Traditional flood defences of concrete and earth embankments may no longer be adequate or sustainable in the long-term,” concluded Sir Martin.

The full report can be found at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/thepittreview/final_report.aspx

Follow the link below to find the Natural England website: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/press/news2008/250608.htm

CPRE - Response by Outrage

Julie Hankey, Chair of Outrage, responds:

"The support of the Council for the Protection of Rural England is greatly appreciated by OUTRAGE. As they say, 95% of gravel for Oxfordshire is provided by the Lower Windrush Valley and 45% of the valley has been dug up since the war. This is shocking and Oxfordshire County Council should be made to see that it is. As a direct result of presentations made by Outrage, the Structure Plan 2016 states that the cumulative impact of gravel digging across an area will be taken into account when considering planning applications. This is the first Oxfordshire Structure Plan ever to include the criterion of cumulative impact.

The Stonehenge Farm application will be the first test of that principle in the history of minerals planning for Oxfordshire. If the County Council's words mean anything at all, the Stonehenge Farm application ought to be rejected. We need to press Oxfordshire County Council to have the courage of its own convictions. It's not good enough to put fine-sounding phrases into its planning documents and then sweep them aside when it comes to the crunch. The map for the area shows an almost unbroken series of lakes between the proposed site and Witney.

Other planning authorities can do it. Northamptonshire, for example, has decided that the Nene river valley can no longer be dug up 'without excessive environmental impact'. Exactly the same is true for the Lower Windrush Valley. Precious little is left unspoilt, and that little is indeed precious.