Nottingham Local Flood Risk Management Strategy

NottinghamLocal Flood RiskManagement StrategyPublic SummaryFebruary 2015

Foreword The effects of floodingcan be devastating. Itcan cause people tobe displaced from theirhomes for several months,cause major disruptionto transport and havesignificant impacts for thelocal economy.Parts of Nottinghamrecently benefited from theconstruction of a 45 millionflood defence scheme alongthe River Trent, but there isstill work to do to improvethe level of protection toother areas of the city. Oneof our biggest challenges isdealing with flash flooding,which is difficult to predictand can affect the city withlittle or no warning. With achanging climate and thepredicted increase in rainfallevents it is important that theCouncil works closely withother organisations, includingthe Environment Agencyand Severn Trent Water,and takes a long term andstrategic approach to floodrisk management.We are committed tomanaging flood risk throughboth routine maintenanceand physical measures, suchas flood defences. We alsorecognise the importance ofsupporting our citizens andbusinesses so that they knowif they are at risk of floodingand what measures they cantake to protect their ownproperties. It is importantthat we focus our resourceson the communities thatsuffer the greatest impacts offlooding.This Strategy has beendeveloped in consultationwith the public and with themany different organisationsthat have a role to play inmanaging flood risk acrossNottingham.Councillor Jane UrquhartPortfolio Holder forPlanning & TransportationNottingham City Council2 Nottingham Local Flood Risk Management Strategy

Introduction Sources of water, includingthe River Trent and itstributaries, were historicallyimportant factors in thegrowth of Nottingham.Flooding is a natural processbut the urbanisation of thecity over many centuries haschanged the way that waterflows in our rivers, beneaththe ground and over thesurface of the land.Flooding can occur ina number of areas inNottingham and can havedevastating impacts thataffect people, property,business, the environmentand transport.The risk of flooding isexpected to increase in theUK due to climate change.As Nottingham continuesto grow, it is importantthat new developmenthappens sustainably anddoes not increase the risk offlooding, both in the city andelsewhere.Whilst it is not possible toprevent all flooding there aremany actions that can betaken to reduce the impactson our communities. It isimportant that the limitedresources that are availableare focused on the areas andcommunities that suffer thegreatest impacts of floodingto have the best possibleimpact.The Nottingham LocalFlood Risk ManagementStrategy has beendeveloped to highlight whatthe City Council is planningto do to manage local floodrisk to our communitiesnow and in the future. It is asource of information for allindividuals, communities andbusinesses prone to floodingin Nottingham City. It is alsointended to be an informationsource for the many differentorganisations that we workwith to manage flood riskacross the city.The full version of the LocalFlood Risk ManagementStrategy is available on theCity Council’s website. Thisdocument summaries keyinformation contained in thefull strategy document.Nottingham Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 3

What flood sources affectNottingham? Types offloodingRiver flooding occurswhen the volume of waterexceeds the capacity ofa river channel. Mapsshowing the areas at riskof flooding from rivers areavailable on the EnvironmentAgency’s website at maps.environment-agency.gov.ukThere are two differentcategories of river: Main Rivers are usuallylarger watercourses. MainRivers in Nottinghaminclude the River Trent,River Leen, Day Brook,parts of Tottle Brook,Fairham Brook andNethergate Brook. TheEnvironment Agency isresponsible for managingMain River flood risk. Ordinary watercoursesare smaller watercoursesthat are not Main Rivers.There are numerousordinary watercourseswithin the city, includingBroxtowe Park Brook,the upstream reachesof Tottle Brook, RobinsWood Dyke and TinkersLeen. Nottingham CityCouncil is responsiblefor managing ordinarywatercourse flood risk.Surface water floodingoccurs when intense rainfallgenerates overland flowthat overwhelms drainsand public sewers, andaccumulates in low-lyingareas. Maps showing theareas at risk of floodingfrom surface water areavailable on the EnvironmentAgency’s website at maps.environment-agency.gov.ukGroundwater floodingrelates to situationswhere land that is notnormally covered by waterbecomes flooded by wateremerging from the ground.Groundwater levels respondslowly to rainfall, river levelsand abstraction activitiesand can occur followingprolonged rainfall, dependingon the local geology. Inthe unlikely event thatgroundwater would riseabove the surface of theland, the Council would beresponsible for managing thisflood risk.Sewer flooding can occurwhen the capacity ofthe sewerage network isoverwhelmed or when thereis a blockage or collapse ofa sewer. Some areas of thecity experience high levelsof blockages due to citizensand businesses flushingsanitary products into toiletsor pouring fats, oils andgrease down the sink. SevernTrent Water is responsible formanaging flooding from thesewerage network.Reservoir flooding can4 Nottingham Local Flood Risk Management Strategyoccur when all or part ofa reservoir dam structurefails. Wollaton Park Lake is areservoir that is categorisedas being at high risk due tothe number of propertiesat risk of flooding if thedam wall was ever to fail.The reservoir is regularlyinspected and the risk offailure of the dam wall is low.The Environment Agency isresponsible for managingflood risk from reservoirs.Canal flooding could occurwhere there are issueswith the management ofwater levels or a breachin embanked sections.Generally, locks and weirson canals will control waterlevels and the risk of floodingis therefore low. In the city,the Nottingham and BeestonCanal interacts with theRiver Trent and flood gatesare operated to manage theflood risk. The Canal andRiver Trust is responsiblefor managing flood risk fromcanals.Integrated floodingoccurs when two or moreflood sources interact.For example, when riverlevels are high, sewers maybe unable to drain awayresulting in a backing upeffect, which can lead toflooding.

Existing plansand strategiesfor managingflood riskNottingham City Council andother partners with flood riskmanagement responsibilitieshave plans and strategiesfor managing flood risk. Keydocuments that the CityCouncil uses include: Strategic Flood RiskAssessments coveringGreater Nottingham,the River Leen and DayBrook. These aim to directnew development awayfrom flood risk areasand promote sustainabledevelopment The Preliminary FloodRisk Assessmentprovides an overview ofthe risk from all sources offlooding in Nottingham The Surface WaterManagement Planidentifies priority locationsfor managing flood riskfrom surface water andidentifies an action planfor each area.These documents canbe found on the CityCouncil’s website at www.nottinghamcity.gov.ukor to request a copy emaildrainage@nottinghamcity.gov.uk or call0115 915 5555.The Local Flood RiskManagement Strategy aimsto pull together and buildon all of these documentsto provide a succinct ActionPlan for managing flood risk.Nottingham Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 5

Who has responsibilityfor managing flood risk inNottingham? There are many authoritiesthat have responsibilitiesfor managing flood risk inNottingham. Due to thecomplex nature of floodingin urban areas it is importantthat these organisations worktogether in partnership.NottinghamCity CouncilIn 2010, Nottingham CityCouncil became a LeadLocal Flood Authority whichintroduced a number of newresponsibilities: Lead on managing offlood risk from surfacewater, groundwaterand ordinary (minor)watercourses Develop a strategy formanaging local flood riskin Nottingham Work with otherorganisations to leadinvestigations intosignificant flood incidentsin the city Maintain a register ofstructures or features thathave a significant effecton flood risk Prepare for newresponsibilities regardingthe sustainable drainageof new developments.The City Council is the LocalPlanning Authority and hasa responsibility to ensurethat the flood risk to newdevelopments is managedand that the future growthof the city does not createflooding problems or makeexisting flooding situationsworse.The City Council is theHighway Authority and isresponsible for providing6 Nottingham Local Flood Risk Management Strategyand maintaining highwaydrainage features, such asroad gullies.TheEnvironmentAgencyThe Environment Agencyis defined as a RiskManagement Authority andhas a Strategic Overviewof all forms of flooding.They have developed aNational Flood and CoastalErosion Risk ManagementStrategy. The EnvironmentAgency is responsible formanaging flood risk fromlarger watercourses (‘mainrivers’), estuaries, the seaand reservoirs.

Severn TrentWaterSevern Trent Water is definedas a Risk ManagementAuthority as they arethe water and seweragecompany that coversNottingham. They have aduty to provide effectualdrainage and are responsiblefor public sewers thatcollect waste water andrain water and associatedinfrastructure.Other keypartnersThere are a number of otherorganisations and partnersthat are not statutory RiskManagement Authorities butwork closely with the CityCouncil when managing localflood risk in Nottingham.These stakeholders include: Councillors, citizens andcommunities, particularlythose in flood risk areas Nottingham City Homesand other social housingproviders Nottinghamshire CountyCouncil as the Lead LocalFlood Authority for theneighbouring area Ashfield District Council,Broxtowe BoroughCouncil, RushcliffeBorough Council andGedling Borough Councilas neighbouring DistrictCouncils Trent Valley InternalDrainage Board (FairhamBrook) The Canal and RiverTrust (formerly BritishWaterways) Network Rail The Trent Regional Floodand Coastal Committee The Nottingham &Nottinghamshire LocalResilience Forum Natural England English Heritage Nottinghamshire WildlifeTrust Trent Rivers Trust Riparian land owners DevelopersNottingham Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 7

Workingtogether tomanage floodriskWater flows betweensystems that are operatedby different authorities.For example, when rainwater flows overland, intohighway drains, sewers andultimately watercourses thereare several organisationsinvolved. It is crucial thatpartners, particularly the CityCouncil, the EnvironmentAgency and Severn TrentWater, work together toeffectively manage floodingfor Nottingham’s residents.The City Council hasestablished good workingrelationships with relevantpartners, sharing informationand taking appropriateactions, where practicable,to manage flood risk inNottingham.How canyou helpto manageflood risk inNottingham?Everyone has a role to play inmanaging flood risk. Simplemeasures that all Nottinghamresidents and businesses cantake include: Check whether your homeor business is at risk offlooding from rivers orsurface water using theEnvironment Agency’swebsite atmaps.environmentagency.gov.uk8 Nottingham Local Flood Risk Management Strategy If you are at risk of floodingor if you have sufferedflooding at your homeor business before, takemeasures to prepare yourproperty, such as makinga flood plan or installingflood protection measures. Sign up for EnvironmentAgency flood warnings bycalling 0845 988 1188. Manage surface water ina sustainable way if youextend your home or paveover your driveway. Avoid pouring fats, oilsand greases down drainsor flushing nappies, wipesor other sanitary productsdown the toilet. Report floodingproblems to the CityCouncil’s Drainage Team,should they occur, byemailing drainage@nottinghamcity.gov.uk orcalling 0115 915 5555.