South Cumbria Rivers Trust are working up several Natural Flood Management projects in the area, delivered as part of the national DEFRA programme – aimed at delivering an innovative Natural Flood Management (NFM) pilot across catchments in Cumbria. NFM is used to reduce flooding by working with natural features and processes to store or slow down flood waters. Techniques include; woodland creation, bank restoration and creating wetlands.

Staveley has been listed by the Cumbria Strategic Flood Partnership as a Priority Community at Risk (pCaR). The project at High Borrans Farm was put forward by South Cumbria Rivers Trust under the NFM programme to help protect properties at risk there.

This compact but complex project has consisted of slowing the downstream transit of floodwater by diverting water flowing down a farm track onto a new route through woodland. We then created a series of Leaky Dams from windblown trees, that are set above the normal level, so only flood flows are blocked. From there the water then flows into a runoff attenuation feature and then into a reservoir. The project has used a number of different techniques that compliment the area and each other, providing an exciting and comprehensive example of natural flood management measures.

We will be monitoring the work to ensure the interventions are as effective as they can be during high flows.

See the work from start to finish here.

Simon and Mike winching the last of the Leaky Dam into place….lovely.

The Rivers Trusts plus Risk Management Authorities, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Landowner Groups, Councils, Flood Action Groups, Highways England, Network Rail and DEFRA departments have supported the DEFRA NFM pilot programme in Cumbria in their respective catchments by identifying and developing targeted project interventions aimed at implementing natural flood reduction measures.

The development of these interventions has been supported by Natural England (NE), Forestry Commission (FC), and Environment Agency officers under the guidance of the NFM Technical Advisory Group, with clear reference to the DEFRA NFM programme guidance.