Challenges in Implementing Flood Storage Areas in the Uk (PAP014738)

Código

PAP014738

Autores

Simon McCarthy, Christophe Viavattene, C. Green

Tema

Land use and Floods, landslides and erosion

Resumo

Flood storage can be defined as the temporary detention of floodwater. By capturing andstoring the flood water peak flow the extreme volume is not passed downstream to cause flood inundationbut gradually released when water levels have fallen. Flood storage has recently received greater interestat the European scale. Where the principle of flooding areas with expected lower losses (farmland)instead of high values areas (urban) is acceptable, obtaining this right on private property remains achallenge. Different forms of economic approach to obtain or incentivise this right may be considered:expropriation, one off- payment, annual single payment, and flood event losses compensation.This paper presents the results of a qualitative survey conducted in England and Wales in the frame ofthe FP7 EU EPIWATER project. England and Wales has well established flood storage and continues tobe developed as one of a number of flood risk management approaches. The research reviews thecurrent status and mechanisms that have successfully facilitated this approach. The research draws on14 interviews with a range of key stakeholders involved in implementing and managing flood storageareas. Where flood mitigation is the main issue being addressed in a locality a single payment of partialland purchase with flowage easement was found to be the dominant funding mechanism. Where greatercontrol of land use is required for predominantly environmental and conservation purposes then full landpurchase is necessary. Alternative diffuse storage approaches have also been trialled in Englandrevealing their limitations in the predictability of the final storage capacity in the catchment and their longterm sustainability in terms of maintenance which is reliant on continued contributions from AgriculturalSchemes. The UK context may be unique and not transferable to other countries. The paper furtherdiscusses this issue.