Case study:Stroud Rural Sustainable Drainage Project

0.00

(0 votes)

To discuss or comment on this case study, please use the discussion page.

Location: 51° 44' 44.64" N, 2° 13' 3.93" W

Edit location

Loading map...

{"format":"googlemaps3","type":"HYBRID","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"limit":50,"offset":0,"link":"all","sort":[""],"order":[],"headers":"show","mainlabel":"","intro":"","outro":"","searchlabel":"... further results","default":"","import-annotation":false,"width":"auto","height":"400px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"visitedicon":"","wmsoverlay":false,"zoom":14,"layers":[],"controls":["pan","zoom","type","scale","streetview","rotate"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"cluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[""],"searchmarkers":"","fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"showtitle":false,"hidenamespace":true,"template":"Location map popup","userparam":"","activeicon":"","pagelabel":false,"ajaxcoordproperty":"","ajaxquery":"","locations":[{"text":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProject Title:\u003C/b\u003E Stroud Rural Sustainable Drainage Project\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003ECountry:\u003C/b\u003E \u003Ca href=\"/wiki/index.php?title=England\" title=\"England\"\u003EEngland\u003C/a\u003E\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003EProject Status:\u003C/b\u003E In progress\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003EThemes:\u003C/b\u003E Social benefits\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr /\u003E\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Stroud Rural Sustainable Drainage Project","link":"","lat":51.745734,"lon":-2.217758,"icon":"/wiki/images/a/af/Red_marker.png"}]}

Left click to look around in the map, and use the wheel of your mouse to zoom in and out.

Project overview

Edit project overview

Status	In progress
Project web site	http://www.therrc.co.uk/sites/default/files/projects/13_stroudfrome.pdf
Themes	Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Land use management - agriculture, Land use management - forestry, Social benefits
Country	England
Main contact forename	Chris
Main contact surname	Uttley
Main contact user ID	User:Stroud RSuDS
Contact organisation	Stroud District Council
Contact organisation web site	http://www.stroud.gov.uk/docs/environment/rsuds/index.asp
Partner organisations	Stroud District Council, Environment Agency, Community Groups, private landowners, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Gloucestershire County Council, National Trust, Forestry Commission, Natural England, Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Severn Rivers Trust, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG)
Parent multi-site project	Stroud Rural Sustainable Drainage Project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Large woody debris in Painswick stream - Beech tree trunk to attenuate flows and create diverse in-stream habitat

Project summary

Edit project overview to modify the project summary.

In 2012, the Environment Agency commissioned a report into the feasibility and potential benefits of implementing Natural Flood Management (also called Rural Sustainable Drainage) (RSuDS) throughout the catchment of the Stroud Frome and associated tributaries.

Acting on the findings of the study, the Severn and Wye Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) agreed to fund a project officer to implement and promote rural sustainable drainage and natural flood management in the whole catchment, which covers approx. 235km2. A formal partnership between Gloucestershire County Council, The Environment Agency, the RFCC and Stroud District Council was established to implement the work, and under a collaborative agreement, Stroud District Council agreed to employ the project officer for three years.

The project is working with a large number of private and third sector land owners to implement a wide variety of techniques to slow flood flows, reduce erosion of soils, and restore in-stream and flood plain natural processes. We are creating a large number of leaky woody debris structures located in a variety of settings to catalyse in-stream habitat restoration, slow down the transport of silt and sediment, raise bed levels in deeply incised channels, create diverse habitats, attenuate higher flows and force flows out of channel.

In addition, we are working with woodland and agricultural land owners to put in place measures to reduce soil erosion, store overland flows and increase infiltration.

We are working in small streams, spring flows and drainage gulleys to intervene at the very top of the catchment, with a view to working our way downstream and allowing downstream areas a better chance to restore themselves. We predominantly work on Ordinary Water Courses where impacts such as dredging, channelisation and diffuse pollution are acute. As work progresses, we are finding and recording previously un-recorded habitat features of international importance, including Alkaline tufa petrifying spring habitats in both woodland and grassland context.

To implement the approach and achieve real reductions in flood risk and improvements to habitat we are working in full partnership with communities, flood actions groups, partners, land managers and farmers. We involve members of Flood Action Groups in determining priorities for future work.

Monitoring surveys and results

Edit project overview to modify the Monitoring survey and results.

None to date

Lessons learnt

Edit project overview to modify the lessons learnt.

We have learned a number of lessons: 1. Importance of Bottom up approach and community support for Natural Flood Management. It is impossible to undertake this work on the scale needed to make a difference to both natural processes or flood risk if widespread community support is not given. 2. We think it is important to start work quickly to create momentum and inspire communities that the approach is feasible rather than theoretical. 3. Even small interventions can make a difference quickly in a degraded stream system, creating habitat complexity, refugia, and allowing light into a heavily shaded area. 4. Use local contractors to increase buy-in and capacity for undertaking works. 5. Start at the most upstream location feasible and work your way downstream. Working on smaller water courses has less risk and less requirement for modelling and feasibility work.

Image gallery

Edit Image gallery

Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Edit the catchment and subcatchment details (affects all case studies in this subcatchment) Catchment River basin district Severn River basin Severn Vale Subcatchment River name Slad Bk - source to conf Painswick Str Area category 10 - 100 km² Area (km2) Maximum altitude category 200 - 500 m Maximum altitude (m) 266266 m <br />0.266 km <br />26,600 cm <br /> Dominant geology Calcareous Ecoregion Great Britain Dominant land cover Improved grassland Waterbody ID GB109054032440 Site Edit site Name WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body No National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present Yes Invasive species present No Species of interest Dominant hydrology Dominant substrate River corridor land use Average bankfull channel width category Average bankfull channel width (m) Average bankfull channel depth category Average bankfull channel depth (m) Mean discharge category Mean annual discharge (m3/s) Average channel gradient category Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) 60006,000 m <br />6 km <br />600,000 cm <br /> Project started 2014/04/28 Works started 2014/11/17 Works completed Project completed Total cost category more than 10000 k€ Total cost (k€) Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Regional flood and coastal committee Cost for project phases Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname Investigation and design Stakeholder engagement and communication Works and works supervision more than 10000 k€ Stroud District Council Chris Uttley Post-project management and maintenance Monitoring Supplementary funding information Revenue project funding is provided by the Severn and Wye Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. Capital funding is supplied by Gloucestershire County Council, the Environment Agency and Stroud District Council. Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Hydromorphology Incision, Channel pattern/planform, Substrate conditions Biology Physico-chemical Diffuse pollution Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Introducing large woody debris Floodplain / River corridor Creation of natural floodwater dynamics, Increase water retention area Planform / Channel pattern Other Non-structural measures Management interventions Fencing, More natural water retention, Reduce diffuse water pollution and over-grazing Social measures (incl. engagement) Community involvement Other Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description http://www.stroud.gov.uk/docs/environment/rsuds/video.asp A film of the project Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information