15 October 2014
OFA is working with the City Council on a plan to upgrade the static pumps at the southern end of Earl Street, and to install either sumps and pumps or a static/passive drainage system to protect the rear of properties on both sides in conjunction with property-level protection. Nick Hills will be meeting council officers shortly to finalise plans. We are hopeful that funds will be made available through DEFRA grants.
14 October 2014
Some key points
13 October 2014
We today submitted written comments on a draft synopsis produced by the Flood Defence Group for the Thames Waterways Plan 2015-2020. A point we emphasised was the crucial importance of encouraging large riparian landowners to undertake the maintenance for which they have statutory responsibility, and providing them with practical advice on how to go about this.
7 October 2014
William Edginton from Jericho has helpfully reported several obstructions (trees etc) on the Castle Mill Stream – we have passed this on to the Environment Agency who plan to deal with them in the next 2 to 3 weeks. William has also offered to watch this stream for us and report any problems in future – a most welcome offer, thank you. Thanks also to the EA for getting on with this and other clearances.
7 October 2014
South Hinksey: Oxfordshire County Council Engineers are to fit a non-return flap-valve to a surface water drain where is empties into a field ditch: this will prevent water pouring from the ditch into the street in low-order flood events. The Parish Council requested this, and was supported by OFA. The work should be done this month. Thank you County Engineers.
5 October 2014
Peter Rawcliffe was interviewed by Bill Heine on Radio Oxford, to do with flooding in Normandy Crescent (between Hollow Way and the Eastern By-Pass) caused two weeks ago by a burst water main. About 50 houses were flooded – a catastrophe for many people. The area was flooded by a previous burst seven years ago, very possibly on the same mains pipe. We remember too the burst water main in South Hinksey in February 2012, when several houses were flooded: some were still undergoing repair 18 months later. Edit: to that add the inundation of Earl Street by a burst main in 1990 or 1991. There are probably others.
Do we now have a “new cause” of flooding to add to the list?
We hope Thames Water will, in Normandy Crescent (and anywhere else)
act on them promptly and effectively.
1 October 2014
OFA attended today’s OAFP meeting:
We asked the EA about progress on our proposals for working with them to ensure that riparian owners maintain the long rural stretches of waterways for which they (the owners) are legally responsible. The EA have prepared an ownership map as we agreed when last we met, so we hope to meet with them again soon.
The problem of flood water (groundwater?) in the back gardens on both sides of Earl Street was discussed. It is hoped that pumps in two gardens and property-level protection will resolve the problem: OFA and the City Council are working together on it.
OFA’s recent reconnaissance trip by canoe from South Hinksey to Redbridge discovered several serious obstructions, trees and so on. We showed photographs of some of them today and they have been reported to the EA as needing removal.
28 September 2014
Four of us were interviewed by Japan’s NHK for a television documentary on climate change. NHK is Japan’s national public broadcaster, and Japan’s largest broadcasting organization. The interviews and filming covered OFA’s evolution as a community organisation and what we have done, and the problems of flooding and measures taken to reduce its impact as exemplified in the Botley Road area and South Hinksey, while John Mastroddi highlighted the important multi-partner project at Munday’s bridge. The Committee on Climate Change, Thames Estuary 2100, Thames Barriers and others will form part of the programme too – it’s due out in Japan (with subtitles!) in November and internationally in December.
22 August 2014
Members of the Steering Group had a very helpful meeting with Holly Foreman of the EA. Discussion included progress on the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme; developing a Q & A about this scheme; organising long-stretch maintenance by riparian owners (where progress has been slow).
2 June 2014
A new member for our Steering Group
Adrian Porter, of South Hinksey, has accepted our invitation to join the OFA Steering Group. We are delighted: he is already knowledgeable and active on flooding and will be a great asset to OFA.
oxford flood alliance 