Water on the Land - Case studies

Causes

- Very flat land most below 5 metres above sea level

- December 2013 was one of the stormiest decembers on record

- Met office reports show that Southern England experienced their highest January rainfall since records began

- The levels and and moors are now atificially drained by a network of rhynes (small streams/ ditches) which are pumped up into "drains"

• Some of the old pumping stations broke down and did not pump water off the levels

• The embankments were not big enough to hold the volume water needed

• The rivers were not dredged properly by the Environment Agency so did not hold enough water

Effects/Impacts

Responses

Causes

Effects

Responses

Why it was built where it was built

- It was on a site that was big enough and had steep side to hold the water

- High rainfall - aprox. 1370mm per year

- Not many people lived there meaning little relocation

- The land was poor, low fertility

- Low levels of biodiversity

Impacts

- 1/4 million visitors per year

- The HEP plant produces 6MW enough for 4000 homes a year

- The amount of energy produced by the HEP plant saves 8,600 tonnes of CO² per year

- Jobs were made available during the construction phase and through the maintenace of the damn wall

- A visitor centre and local shop benefit from tourism

- An eco-village nearby is powered by waste chips from the forestry process

- Mountain biking, downhill trails and horse riding paths have been provided 

- Habitats have been protected especially for the Ospreys and indigenous Red Squirrels