Case study - Somerset Levels
- Created by: mbull
- Created on: 14-01-18 09:56
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- Case Study - Somerset Levels
- When
- 11th January 2014
- Where
- Country of Somerset
- South West England
- Between hills and close to several rivers
- It is an area of flat land which is easily flooded
- The rain from the hills flow onto the floodplain
- Causes extreme floods
- The rain from the hills flow onto the floodplain
- Why did they flood?
- It was the wettest January since 1910
- A succession of depressions (areas of low pressure) were driven across the Atlantic Ocean
- Brought a period of wet weather lasting several weeks
- High tides and storm surges swept water up the rivers from the Bristol Channel
- Prevented fresh water reaching the sea
- Spilled over water banks
- Rivers have not been dredged for 20 years
- Has become clogged with sediment
- Impacts
- Social
- Over 600 houses flooded
- 16 farms evacuated
- Residents evacuated to temporary accommodation for several months
- Villages cut off
- Many power supplies cut off
- Economic
- Somerset Country Council estimated the cost of flood damage to be more than £10 million
- Over 14,000 ha of agricultural land under water for 3-4 weeks
- Local roads cut off by loods
- Railway lines closed
- Over 1,000 livestock evacuated
- Environmental
- Floodwaters were heavily contaminated with sewage and other pollutants including oil and chemicals
- A huge amount of debris had to be cleared
- Stagnant water that had collected for months had to reoxygenated before being pumped back into the rivers.
- Social
- Long term responses
- 8km of the Rivers Tone and Parrett were dredged
- Makes river deeper
- Less silt
- Less risk of damage by floods
- Makes a mess - mud, banks erode, cost
- Makes river deeper
- Road levels have been raised
- Maintain communications and enable businesses to continue
- Makes transport easier when there is a flood
- Costs a lot of money for local tax payers
- Maintain communications and enable businesses to continue
- River banks raised
- Take longer for water to rise and flood
- More protection from damage of flooding
- Cost
- Take longer for water to rise and flood
- A tidal barrage may be built at Bridgwater
- Could hold back the water and stop flooding
- Stop damage and devastation
- Costs lots of money and it would take a long time
- 8km of the Rivers Tone and Parrett were dredged
- When
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