The newly formed South Oxford Flood Action Group (SOFLAG) has secured a grant of just under £20,000 to set up a local flood monitoring system in the South Oxford area. This includes a borehole and gauge boards on local streams and ditches. Local residents will be involved in gathering data on water levels.

The funding comes from Project Groundwater, a government-funded initiative to improve management of groundwater flooding in the UK. Oxford Flood Alliance has been supporting Project Groundwater since the beginning of the initiative. Project Groundwater identified South Oxford as a community it wished to engage with.

Recipients of funds have to be formally registered bodies so West Oxford Community Renewables (WOCoRe) will manage the funds on behalf of SOFLAG. OFA facilitated contact with WOCoRe to help SOFLAG secure the grant.

David Macdonald, a hydrologist and south Oxford resident who helped set up SOFLAG, said: ‘We plan to make data about water levels available to residents through an accessible website. We hope this will raise local awareness of how flooding happens in our community and enable people to respond more effectively.’