Flood Management: Exeter

• Increasing River Capacity:

  • Flood plain defences.
  • Flood relief channel from Trew's Weir to James Weir.
  • River Exe has been widened and dredged.
  • 2 new road bridges created to minimise impact on river flow.
  • River discharged increased from 280 cumecs (1960) to 700 cumecs (Present Day).
• Exe Bridge Construction:

  • Radial Gates at Exwick
  • Designed to deploy once river flow is greater than 180 cumecs.
  • Chambers are flooded either side of gate, lifting radial gate floats.
  • 26 metre wide flood channel.
  • Excess flow is diverted into 1.6km long diversion channel.
  • Gates are powered by water level so no electronics or hydraulics to go wrong.
• Social Impacts:

  • Scheme reduces flood risk to more than 3000 homes and businesses.
• Scheme Funding:

  • £6mn of government funding to promote economic growth in places affected by flooding.
  • Exeter City Council and Devon County Council are both contributing £3mn each.
• Effectiveness:

  • Flood events occurred in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2020.
  • Only 12 properties flooded compared to 3000.