Geography – Problem Solving: Flooding

Problem-solving: Flooding I think that the best solution from the Environment Agency is the Upstream Flood Storage. I think this would be the best option because it will stop the town from getting flooded but also, it would be better downstream. The water will be temporarily stored on fields upstream of the town, on farm land. There may be animals on the fields but they can easily be moved out of the way. This could also lead to new wildlife in the area, although also disrupt the wildlife already there. The flood storage reservoir upstream of the town can hold back floodwater’s, and so reduce the maximum flood flow through the town.
A flood storage reservoir remains effective so long as it does not become full of water. Although, if a larger flood occurs, the reservoir fills up and the extra water will flow over the top. One other point is that this will be costly, but could save many businesses and homes from being flooded. I think that the Floodplain Reinstatement (move the town off the flood plain so if the river floods, it won’t matter) is a bad idea because it would be extremely costly and very difficult to persuade the people living in the town to move away. It would be bad for the economy and people would also lose their jobs and businesses in the town.
Although, by moving the town out the way of floods, this would mean that the town will no longer get flooded. By doing this, it will also disrupt the wildlife where the town could be moved. The Bypass channels (building an extra channel to take some of the flood water) also would not be such a good idea because they would just make the flood worse downstream. The water would move very quickly through the town, causing the channel to meet the river where the flood will be at the same time. As a result, this saves the town from being flooded but the flood downstream will be worse.

Also, the channel may not have a lot of water in it all year round so could affect the wildlife in the area. The additional channel capacity (making the channel deeper and wider so it will hold more water) is a good idea as it could stop small floods from taking place. But, if there was to be a big flood then the water could rise over the top leading the town to flood. The secondary defenses (build flood walls to hold the extra water) could also work well for preventing the small floods, but not for a big flood. As a result, the water could still rise over the top of the walls.