River management schemes

• The jubilee river is an example of hard engineering
• The jubilee river reparation scheme:

  • funded by the environment agence and cost £110 million
  • opened in 2002, 11.7km long, 50m wide.
  • designed to look natural with meanders and shallow corals
  • 5 weirs along its course, but only 2 are navigable by paddle / craft
• The jubilee river channel diverts water from the thames when discharge is high. It was needed because the area was low-lying and prone to flooding
• the jubilee river protects 3000 properties in eton and windsor
• SOCIAL issues with the jubilee river flood relief channel:

  • after the river rejoins the thames, the properties downstream are more at risk.
  • only 2 of the 5 weirs are comfortable navigable by boat
• ECONOMIC issues with the jubilee river:

  • it was very expensive, but the weird were damaged by floods one year after its completion
  • insurance is expensive until this problem is sorted
• ENVIRONMENTAL issues with the juvilee river:

  • 2014- extensive flooding where the channel rejoined the thames -> vehicles destroyed, flooded roads etc.
  • concrete is ugly
  • algae collects behind the weirs disrupting the natural ecosystem
• • Banbury is a town. The town is known for being at constant risk of flooding.
  • The town was destroyed during major flooding in 1998 and further flooding. This has resulted ing government strategies and management. 1998 - £12.5 million of damage. 350 forced to evacuate.
  • In 2007, the town was hit again by floods.
  • The river that flooded was the River Cherwell
• The main cause of Banbury's flooding is heavy rainfall which causes the rivers to rise quickly. In 1998, there was 6 weeks worth of rain in just 2 days.
• To help Banbury:

  • a 2.9 km earth embankment was built parallel to the motorway creating a flood storage area. The embankment has a max height of 4.5m and is capable of holding around 3 million cubic metres of water.
  • The flood storage area is mainly on the natural floodplain of the River Cherwell and it collects rainwater so ti doesn't go into the river and burst the banks.
  • Pumping Station to pump flood water out of the town.
  • Flood gates can be opened slowly to slow the rate of the river's flow while emptying the reservoir over time.
• SOCIAL Issues with Banbury:

  • the raised A361 route into Banbury will be open during a flood to avoid disrupting people's lives
  • quality of life for locals improved by new footpaths and green areas
  • reduced anxiety and depression because no fear of flooding
• ECONOMIC issues with Banbury:

  • cost about £18.5 million. EXPENSIVE, but beneficial
• ENVIRONMENTAL issues with Banbury:

  • 100000 tonnes of Earth required to build the embankment. extracted from nearby, creating a small reservoir
  • BAP (Biodiversity action plan) habitat has been created with ponds, trees
  • Part of the floodplain will be deliberately allowed to flood if river levels are high.