Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Case study - Collaborative management of flood risk: River Tweed
catchment, Scotland-England border, UK
The River Tweed catchment straddles the border of Scotland and northern
England. Flooding has become an increasingly serious issue with up to 9% of
the catchment being considered at risk from flooding, primarily due to river
modifications, poor land practices, and floodplain development. This equates
to some 4,575 'at risk' properties (Bissett
et al.
2010). The town of Peebles on
upstream River Tweed in Scotland, for example, is now impacted by regular
flooding (refer Figure 1.8 in colour plates).
As a result of commitment to the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD)
2000, the Solway Tweed River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) was finalised
by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment
Agency England in December 2009. The EU Floods Directive 2007 requires
members to assess and map flood risks by 2013, and prepare flood risk
management plans by 2013, in coordination with RBMPs. A strategic aim
of the Tweed Catchment Management Plan, updated by the Tweed River
Forum in 2010, is to assist in mapping flood risks and 'to adopt a catchment-
based approach to flood management to protect the people, property and
prosperity of the Tweed catchment whilst respecting its physical, ecological
and aesthetic qualities' (Bissett
et al
. 2010: 51). Among other strategies,
it identified a series of measures for 'Natural Flood Management' which
includes restoration of upland wetlands to increase flood storage, upland
forestation, restoring meanders in canalised reaches to slow down flood flows,
increase land available for floodplain storage, and increase woody debris in
upland rivers to slow down flow rates.
The Tweed Forum has commenced an ambitious program to alleviate
downstream flooding with a pilot in the Eddleston sub-catchment. Figure
7.5 (see colour plates) shows intervention with woody debris to slow
flow. Re-introducing meanders on floodplains has challenged farmers and
long-term grazing patterns however collaboration was enhanced through
participatory mapping methods to capture local knowledge and develop a
catchment model (refer to Box 4.8 in Chapter 4). The University of Dundee
has been involved in research and monitoring to determine the effect of
changes to the floodplain (Figure 7.6 in colour plates).
Through a hybridised governance arrangement that includes the
non-regulatory EU Directives, various government agencies in both Scotland
and England, and the non-governmental Tweed Forum, comprehensive
actions have been initiated to manage flooding and assess the effectiveness of
actions. The Tweed Forum, similar to catchment authorities or associations
elsewhere, is an umbrella organisation that brings together bodies, on both
sides of the border, with an interest in the management and welfare of the
river and its environs.
