More than £2million for natural flood management schemes across Wales
Mwy na £2filiwn ar gyfer cynlluniau rheoli llifogydd yn naturiol ar draws Cymru
The Welsh Government is supporting natural flood management (NFM) projects across Wales with more than £2million in grant funding.
The funds will help Risk Management Authorities – such as local authorities and Natural Resources Wales - to combat the impacts of climate change as flood risks intensify, using natural methods.
NFM uses techniques such as tree-planting, leaky dams, salt marsh and dune restoration, the re-introduction of meanders and natural flood plains to reduce or slow the rate of run-off into rivers and hold back water where it is safe to do so or lessen the impact of coastal inundation and storm damage.
As well as helping to manage flood risks to property, NFM can also help to promote wider biodiversity, water quality and amenity improvements, as well as learning benefits for both the public and risk management authorities.
The announcement follows an invite to local authorities to submit bids for such schemes in April.
The first ten NFM projects have been approved, all of which will receive 100% grant funding over the next two years.
More than £2m will be provided to schemes throughout Wales.
One such scheme is planned for the village of Dwyran, Anglesey, which will reduce run-off, store water and reduce the flood risk to nearby properties with a history of flooding.
Additional ponds and meanders in the stream will create new wildlife habitat on an old school field, and create a new green space for community benefit.
Also planned is Neath Port Talbot’s project at Brynau and Preswylfa, which will be developed in collaboration with the Woodland Trust to plant new native woodland on sites at the Gnoll Country Park.
The project will aim to reduce the flood risk to Neath and surrounding communities by holding water in the upper catchment and reducing peak flows during storm events, benefitting up to 250 homes and more than 150 businesses.
Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, said: “I would like to thank our Risk Management Authorities who have responded promptly and positively to the invite for applications which I announced in April.
“I am very pleased to see that all of those schemes which were submitted have now been approved for delivery.
“The NFM programme is one of a number of improvements I set out in the spring to support Risk Management Authorities to reduce flood risk and accelerate the delivery of schemes which will help defend homes and build resilience to the increased risks of climate change.
“NFM is a key part of our ambitious approach to preventing flooding to communities as set out in our new National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management which was laid in the Senedd last week.”
As part of the NFM programme, Risk Management Authorities will be brought together to monitor ongoing work and share best practice, allowing those carrying out works to establish what works well in different environments, and to encourage the use of more natural flood management schemes in future.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Notes to Editors
The full list of approved schemes is as follows:
Anglesey – Dwyran (£146,000)
Scheme will reduce flood risk to a school and 3 homes by excavating a nearby field and creating a natural attenuation area featuring a wet/dry habitat. As well as reducing flood risk, the scheme will provide significant biodiversity benefits and educational opportunities.
Anglesey - Mill Lane, Beaumaris (£245,525)
Mill Lane Beaumaris already benefits from a flood risk management scheme. The Local Authority will develop further NFM interventions in the upper catchment to further reduce the risk at this location.
Blaenau Gwent - Cwmcelyn & Westside (£48,000)
Works to desilt Cwmcelyn pond will help to increase water attenuation and make much needed biodiversity improvements to a valuable local amenity. These works, combined with tree planting, invasive species removal and new NFM measures at Westside Blaina, will help to reduce downstream flood risk at places like Llanhilleth.
Neath Port Talbot - Brynau and Preswylfa (£80,000)
The catchment above the Gnoll country park features a number of watercourses which flow through the town of Neath before discharging into the main river. The local authority will seek to reduce flood risk to the town by implementing NFM measures in the upper catchment to “slow the flow”.
Neath Port Talbot - Nant Gwrach, Glynneath (£100,000)
The Nant Gwrach flows through former mine works and into Blaengwrach. The proposed works will features woody debris dams and the planting of trees to stabilise river banks. This will both attenuate flows and reduce the movement of sediment, which increase flood risk to the town.
Gwynedd - Wnion catchment (£149,500)
The town of Dolgellau is located at the confluence of 2 rivers, the Mawddach and the Wnion. Gwynedd Council have previously engaged with landowners in the Wnion catchment regarding the potential for reducing surface water and soil run-off from agricultural land.
Cardiff – Rhiwbina (£74,800)
The local authority will investigate the effectiveness of pre-existing NFM measures in the Rhiwbina upper catchment. The work will improve understanding of the effectiveness of such NFM measures and influence decisions in the future.
Powys - The Guilsfield (£67,624)
The Guilsfield brook is located in a largely agricultural catchment. Homes are subjected to flooding due to surface water run-off combined with a constriction caused by the nearby Montgomery Canal. The Local Authority will consider how Natural Flood Management techniques can reduce flows and the associated ‘bottleneck’ effect.
Denbighshire - River Clwyd Catchment (awaiting application) (£1,000,000)
The Welsh Government has provided support to the local authority to investigate the potential for implementing NFM measures on a wide scale throughout the Clwyd catchment. The local authority will shortly be ready to progress this work to the construction phase.
NRW - Teifi Uchaf, Tregaron (£150,000)
This is a large project which will consider how flood risk at Tregaron can be reduced by works in the Teifi upper catchment. By engaging with the Local Authority, Dwr Cymru, Woodland Trust and the West Wales Rivers Trust, NRW are also seeking to improve water quality and biodiversity.
NRW – Llanfair Talhaiarn (£50,000)
NRW will engage with landowners in the upper catchment to discuss potential NFM measures which will reduce risk to the village of Llanfair Talhaiarn.