Innovation Project SLD2314
Farming Floodplains for the Future – Staffordshire Washlands
Aim
An exciting scheme to enhance land management practices in the Staffordshire Washlands catchment of the Rivers Trent, Sow & Penk. The project will largely focus on delivering this project through the Sow and Penk Drainage Board (SPDB). The project will provide a positive model of holistic flood risk management – with added socio-economic and environmental benefits. This innovative and holistic approach to flood risk management will introduce more sustainable methods to land management - in line with the principles of Defra’s Making Space for Water. The project will provide a positive long-term impact to benefit flood risk and biodiversity in an economically profitable way. The development of the local economy, through farm diversification and eco-tourism will also contribute to maintaining wildlife-rich habitats and an enhanced landscape. Through appropriate dissemination, this project will provide an excellent example to influence similar stakeholders elsewhere.
Project Description
Background
Recent problems with flash flooding of large areas of land, such as those experienced in 2000, have shown that new approaches to flood risk management are needed. The effects of climate change are likely to be that we have heavy rainfall more often in Staffordshire. This may mean more frequent floods than we are used to.
In the past farmers were encouraged to drain their land and rivers were deepened to help take water away faster. This creates problems downstream. The solution to this is to manage the whole area that drains into a river – a catchment - to hold more water and to drain more slowly. This usually also brings benefits to wildlife by creating wetlands.
Objectives
We will work with farmers and others to encourage management of the important rivers, streams flowing into them and surrounding land in lowland Staffordshire. These are (see map
):
- The River Sow flowing through Stafford,
- The River Penk flowing north through Penkridge, and
- The River Trent flowing south from Stoke-on-Trent to Burton-upon-Trent.
Methods
We will be concentrating on farmland along the whole of the rivers, but especially where large areas of countryside can be allowed to flood more easily, preventing flood water from moving into rivers too fast. Farmers will need help with this and this can be achieved in several ways:
- Help with money to manage land
- Help with machinery and expert advice on how best to make the new wetlands work
- Setting up ways to sell wetland produce, such as beef from types of cattle that can cope with wetter conditions – look out for Staffordshire Washlands produce at your nearest farmers’ market!
- In Staffordshire, an important organisation that works to prevent flooding is the Sow and Penk Drainage Board – this is one of many Drainage Boards in the country. They will be helping the project by developing new wetland, restoring streams to natural condition, and they will then be telling other Drainage Boards about how they can do this work too.
- Staffordshire will be leading the Country in this work, so we will be careful to monitor how well it works. We will also be letting everyone know about progress.
Results
- Flood water prevented from causing problems
- Farmers’ livelihoods maintained
- Wetter land better for wildlife
- Research to check that this new approach is working
Project Duration
3 years
Project Leader
Mike Deegan, Staffordshire Washlands Partnership
Page last modified: 10 January 2007
Page published: 4 January 2007