West Cumbria Rivers Trust is appealing for volunteers to help with a project which aims to reduce flood risk in the village of Bootle, Cumbria. They are working in close partnership with the Environment Agency and other organisations on a natural flood management project in the area.
Working with farmers and landowners the money will be used to implement measures to slow water run-off and store it in the landscape. An additional £22,000 from Walney Extension Community fund has recently been secured for the work by the partnership which can be added to the existing Environment Agency funding of £144,000.
Natural flood management schemes like these can have many benefits, such as reducing the risk of flooding to houses and roads during periods of high rainfall by reducing the amount of water flowing through the village and attenuating flow. Other benefits include increasing biodiversity, improving water quality and creating green spaces for people to use and enjoy. Natural Flood Management measures include soil management techniques, river and flood plain restoration, creating and restoring hedgerows, building leaky woody dams across rivers to slow the flow of water in storm conditions, temporary water storage areas and tree planting.
West Cumbria Rivers Trust is looking for volunteers to help with natural flood management activities. Regular volunteering events will run from November 2019 and they provide volunteers the opportunity to help reduce the risk of flooding to the community whilst enjoying the outdoors.
Natural flood management is not a full solution to reducing flood risk, but it can be a sustainable way to manage flood risk help, particularly for smaller, upstream rivers.
Evidence about how well the different natural flood management techniques work will be analysed by hydrologists at Lancaster University to help guide future flood management policy and funding.
Anyone who would like to get involved or find out more about the project should contact info@westcumbriariverstrust.org
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