Flood management used to be all about heavy-duty engineering – forcing water though rigid channels or building artificial barriers. But increasingly, the emphasis is switching to working with Nature, rather than against it.
Already in Staffordshire Natural Flood Management (NFM) schemes are being slowly put in place.
NFM is a holistic approach to flood management working at a whole catchment scale. In the headwaters of a catchment, leaky dams created by felling trees across a watercourse slow the flow of water whilst also providing habitat. Ponds and reedbeds not only store water but help to clean it too, whilst good management of upland habitats means that our land can act as a ‘sponge’ by absorbing and storing water.
There are projects in the Mere country beyond Newcastle, at Burton and above Endon, but the flagship project in the county is the Stafford Brooks scheme which targets 25 locations along Stafford’s rivers and streams, improving habitats which will enable wildlife to thrive. This project will reduce flood risk to nearby houses and businesses, alleviating seasonal pressures felt across the town caused by regular flooding.
This project also has a particular focus on extending, restoring and creating new habitats. These restored areas will become home to a variety of wildlife including otters, wading birds and a range of amphibians.
The new developments will also use natural solutions such as wetlands and reed beds to help filter polluted run-off from roads.
Photo credit: Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (with our addition).