Thanks you. To be honest some of the actions are so high level and systemic, needing huge investment id be reluctant to give people false hope. Some smaller actions for sure, which i think I'm save up for a future post
Thank you, Nathan, for a very interesting explanation of the potential risks. As a resident who lives beside the River Ock I was wondering how the news about the Super El-Nino could affect us.
It’s a beautiful river with its own character and wildlife. One thing that often frustrates me, is the amount of times I see green waste in the river.
People who tidy their garden into the river, may not realise that rubbish does not go straight into the Thames. It gets hooked up in areas where the river bottom is more shallow, places where overhanging branches catch onto the rubbish and hold it. The rubbish then builds up and more than once I’ve seen fallen branches become almost a dam. That causes flooding!
I always report build up of rubbish and potential flood risks to both Town Council ( who pass it to the relevant local authority) and the Environment Agency.
May I also add that the trees along the Ock banks may need some attention to avoid those fallen branches. I believe they are mainly Environment Agency responsibility.
Meanwhile, can I make a plea for riverside residents to NOT throw your green waste in any river?
Thanks Nathan. I'd be interested to know if there's any evidence of benefit of hyper-local actions people can do: (making sure you're garden has been prepped (hoe the soil, create drainage holes in the lawn, put in a couple of extra water butts to help absorb the run off)?
That's an interesting question. I wouldn't want to give people false hope but I will definitely research over the next few weeks what practical interventions there are. I wouldn't want it to all be despair
I'm in western Canada and we've had the highest volume of rainfall on record this year. It's terrifying/amazing to actually witness what "warmer air holds more water" actually looks like. One of the things individuals are being encouraged to do is to modify their own environments to slow water down. French drains with plants on top. Rain gardens. Buried rain caches in the garden. Our local utility actually has a grant program to help home-owners modify their spaces. Most of these are fairly simple to do and every little bit helps.
I live in a clay soil area. There are many brooks and streams here. A lot of them run behind the back gardens of the houses. When there are extended periods of dry weather, I'm pretty certain people forget they live by the stream that becomes a torrent with heavy rain. They take their garden furniture, including the concrete base parasol, their ride on toys for the kids, their lawn mowers, or anything large they want out of view whilst they deal with something, out on the dry bank/beach of the stream. They forget. It rains. The waters come, debris gets picked up...including fallen limbs of trees etc, all that forgotten stuff gets washed along....sometimes a very long way until there's a barrier....most often the footbridges at stream/river bank height. The planks of the bridges get pushed out...adding to the debris but still the water flows...out and out and out until it finds it's way back to the river route. Then it meets the grill intended to filter out just normal debris...and now you can't see that for the plastic/concrete/metal doo-dahs that have got themselves carried that far. The water rises, floods, often spills onto the roads, that choked the drains, round and round it all goes until finally it drips down into the soil and capillary action gets out at the river where it should have been all the time. Clay soil is not the problem. It loves water. It cracks very very deep and provides it's own water capture system for when it does rain.
An interesting and informative read, thank you. And, as one local councillor to another, thank you for the time consuming and often underappreciated work you do for the residents you represent.
Really good. I'm in S Derbyshire, where flooding is expected every other year, and it is compulsory to blame the council. About a century back our local river was straightened out to ensure that more water got into the centre of town as fast as possible - there were factories then still using water power. We are about to embark on some limited works to slow some of that flow, and raising the bunds that hold back the worst.
Our real problem is the tradition of never trusting experts. The EA want to raise one of the bunds, but that is seen as just as a foot-dragging excuse to open up an adjacent car park.
Thanks for reading and subscribing. That's a very interesting perspective. At least the EA look like they're willing to make some kind of financial investment on that waterway, given their current funding limitations
Hi Nathan, this was a very interesting read, thank you. Have you considered extending this even-handed forensic approach to other topics? Top of my list would be dissecting how council tax is allocated and spent across the different tiers of local government, and covering the drivers which have shaped the value for money debate, a conversation that often gets very heated.
Thanks for reading..I have considered that but there's only so many hours in the week. I did try one on adult social care but I think other aspects like children's spending, or maybe even just a basic.one which breaks down spending across the various tiers may be useful. Im always open to suggestions
Thank you Nathan. An excellent explanation of the current situation and what is to come. I hope this is widely read and acted upon.
Thanks you. To be honest some of the actions are so high level and systemic, needing huge investment id be reluctant to give people false hope. Some smaller actions for sure, which i think I'm save up for a future post
Great piece Nathan . Talk to Wantage councillors please. Local floods here are a problem. Knowledge is king
Thank you, Nathan, for a very interesting explanation of the potential risks. As a resident who lives beside the River Ock I was wondering how the news about the Super El-Nino could affect us.
It’s a beautiful river with its own character and wildlife. One thing that often frustrates me, is the amount of times I see green waste in the river.
People who tidy their garden into the river, may not realise that rubbish does not go straight into the Thames. It gets hooked up in areas where the river bottom is more shallow, places where overhanging branches catch onto the rubbish and hold it. The rubbish then builds up and more than once I’ve seen fallen branches become almost a dam. That causes flooding!
I always report build up of rubbish and potential flood risks to both Town Council ( who pass it to the relevant local authority) and the Environment Agency.
May I also add that the trees along the Ock banks may need some attention to avoid those fallen branches. I believe they are mainly Environment Agency responsibility.
Meanwhile, can I make a plea for riverside residents to NOT throw your green waste in any river?
Many thanks for reading this.
Thanks for reading. Yes you make good points and well done for being so proactive. I'll gladly raise awareness of the dumping issue to my followers.
Thanks Nathan. I'd be interested to know if there's any evidence of benefit of hyper-local actions people can do: (making sure you're garden has been prepped (hoe the soil, create drainage holes in the lawn, put in a couple of extra water butts to help absorb the run off)?
That's an interesting question. I wouldn't want to give people false hope but I will definitely research over the next few weeks what practical interventions there are. I wouldn't want it to all be despair
I'm in western Canada and we've had the highest volume of rainfall on record this year. It's terrifying/amazing to actually witness what "warmer air holds more water" actually looks like. One of the things individuals are being encouraged to do is to modify their own environments to slow water down. French drains with plants on top. Rain gardens. Buried rain caches in the garden. Our local utility actually has a grant program to help home-owners modify their spaces. Most of these are fairly simple to do and every little bit helps.
https://www.epcor.com/ca/en/ab/edmonton/conservation/incentives/rainwise-stormwater-rebate-program.html
Thank you Nathan, for a really interesting and thought provoking read.
I live in a clay soil area. There are many brooks and streams here. A lot of them run behind the back gardens of the houses. When there are extended periods of dry weather, I'm pretty certain people forget they live by the stream that becomes a torrent with heavy rain. They take their garden furniture, including the concrete base parasol, their ride on toys for the kids, their lawn mowers, or anything large they want out of view whilst they deal with something, out on the dry bank/beach of the stream. They forget. It rains. The waters come, debris gets picked up...including fallen limbs of trees etc, all that forgotten stuff gets washed along....sometimes a very long way until there's a barrier....most often the footbridges at stream/river bank height. The planks of the bridges get pushed out...adding to the debris but still the water flows...out and out and out until it finds it's way back to the river route. Then it meets the grill intended to filter out just normal debris...and now you can't see that for the plastic/concrete/metal doo-dahs that have got themselves carried that far. The water rises, floods, often spills onto the roads, that choked the drains, round and round it all goes until finally it drips down into the soil and capillary action gets out at the river where it should have been all the time. Clay soil is not the problem. It loves water. It cracks very very deep and provides it's own water capture system for when it does rain.
Thanks for this article Nathan. I have a background in geology and civil engineering, but it’s amazing how much you forget over the years.
An interesting and informative read, thank you. And, as one local councillor to another, thank you for the time consuming and often underappreciated work you do for the residents you represent.
Thank you i appreciate that. Hopefully others in our vocation will find it useful.
Really good. I'm in S Derbyshire, where flooding is expected every other year, and it is compulsory to blame the council. About a century back our local river was straightened out to ensure that more water got into the centre of town as fast as possible - there were factories then still using water power. We are about to embark on some limited works to slow some of that flow, and raising the bunds that hold back the worst.
Our real problem is the tradition of never trusting experts. The EA want to raise one of the bunds, but that is seen as just as a foot-dragging excuse to open up an adjacent car park.
Thanks for reading and subscribing. That's a very interesting perspective. At least the EA look like they're willing to make some kind of financial investment on that waterway, given their current funding limitations
Hi Nathan, this was a very interesting read, thank you. Have you considered extending this even-handed forensic approach to other topics? Top of my list would be dissecting how council tax is allocated and spent across the different tiers of local government, and covering the drivers which have shaped the value for money debate, a conversation that often gets very heated.
Thanks for reading..I have considered that but there's only so many hours in the week. I did try one on adult social care but I think other aspects like children's spending, or maybe even just a basic.one which breaks down spending across the various tiers may be useful. Im always open to suggestions
Thank you, Nathan, for this excellent explainer. Appreciated by someone who lives in a potential flood zone in Oxford.