Tag Archives: Environment Agency

Maintenance of rural stretches: riparian responsibilities

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IMG_4149hinksey stream at s hinksey

Hinksey Stream at South Hinksey, 1 Nov 2012

7 June 2013

Peter Rawcliffe of OFA met with a representative of the EA today, to discuss the maintenance of the long rural stretches of waterway in our area. Our joint aim is to bring the riparian owners within Oxford together to develop a practical approach to their doing the maintenance work that is needed. The EA has the skills, experience and authority to advise: OFA will add the community voice, emphasising the importance of proper maintenance and of riparian owners fulfilling their responsibilities. We hope to be able to report progress by our Annual Public Meeting in November.

Meeting on OFA proposals; and encouraging maintenance by riparian owners

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30 May 2013

1. Meeting this afternoon with representatives of the EA, County, RFCC, City and Vale. We heard the results of assessments of ten proposals put forward by OFA last December. Two broad options are worthy of further investigation: we expect to hear more by the autumn. Also awaited is a reconciliation of two different flood models for our area, which will have an indirect bearing on the proposals mentioned and assist in a re-evaluation of the idea of a new ‘western conveyance’ – i.e. bigger waterway (new, or expanded present ones – or a mix of the two). While nothing is yet definite, we remain patiently optimistic, and determined.

 2. We are starting to work with the EA (first meeting next week) to encourage owners of the banks of the long rural stretches of waterway in the area (for which as riparian owners they are responsible) to undertake long-term maintenance of the waterways.

Munday’s bridge under the railway at Kennington

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9 March 2013

We have been urging that this serious bottleneck near Redbridge be sorted out since 2007. Improvements were made in 2009, but more was needed.

Now there is a multi-partner project between Thames Water, Network Rail, Oxford City Council, Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxfordshire County Council to make further improvements. Delays due to legal issues have now been resolved, thanks to help from Oxford’s two MPs, Nicola Blackwood and Andrew Smith. We hope work will now start in early April, but as things are now almost a year late we will only be sure when it actually begins. Nevertheless, action is in sight, and will help reduce the flood risk for many people.

Reporting sewer flooding

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3 January 2013

Where sewers are overflowing from manhole covers there is a risk that watercourses will become polluted. Such incidents can be reported, by any member of the public, to the Environment Agency Incident Hotline on 0800 807060 (Freephone, 24 hour service). Improvements are more likely to happen if incidents are reported.

Separately, the sewer company (locally Thames Water) may offer compensation if you experience sewer flooding in your house or garden. This needs to be reported directly to Thames Water. Check their website for details http://www.thameswater.co.uk/help-and-advice/3018.htm  Again, improvements are more likely to happen if incidents are reported to Thames Water as well.

Sewer flooding

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Sewer emptying 25.12.12

South Hinksey, Christmas Day 2012

25 December 2012

Overflowing sewers being emptied on behalf of Thames Water (TW) in South Hinksey on Christmas Day. A big thank you to the men doing the work for the last few days and right through the Christmas season.

Sewer flooding has been a problem in parts of Botley, North and South Hinksey and Kennington for some years, but notably worse in the last three or four. Heavy rain regularly results in manholes overflowing with foul effluent. Before and during the November river floods, sewage overflowed in large amounts in South Hinksey, into houses, gardens and streets. The contaminated effluent entered local watercourses – pollution reports have been filed by the Environment Agency. Nicola Blackwood, MP, called a Public Meeting in South Hinksey. In a packed hall, Thames Water apologised for what had happened, and that some failings of theirs had not helped. They agreed, among other things, to publish plans to address hydraulic overload, blockages and the upgrade of Littlemore pumping station, to include an overview of timelines.

In the threatened floods now, TW tankers have been in South Hinksey regularly to empty the sewers, making a great improvement on November. The community now awaits the promised plans. There must be serious problems somewhere, which desperately need sorting out, because the sewers overflow when there is no river flooding – and more seriously in the last few years.

The Abingdon Road area had very similar problems in the November floods, with tankers employed to relieve the sewers.

Sewers get overloaded in flood conditions in parts of the Botley Road area.

The need for more government funding

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12 December 2012

We spent this morning meeting with representatives of the Environment Agency, the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, County Council, Oxford City Council and others. We hosted a meeting with these partners in July, to discuss what can be done to help further reduce flood risk in the Oxford area, and today’s meeting was the follow-up.
The meeting was positive and forward-looking. But while all involved want to see progress, and variously have the skills, knowledge and dedication to achieve it, what is sorely lacking is sufficient central government funding.
Parts of the Oxford Flood Strategy, and several works proposed by ourselves, have been implemented already. These helped in the recent flooding. Getting more done is a long slow process.

We’ll do what we can to keeping flooding high on the political agenda.

MPs visit flooded areas

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30 November 2012

Our MPs, Andrew Smith and Nicola Blackwood, have visited flooded areas to see the problems and how defences were working.

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: ‘The Environment Agency, City Council and Emergency Services have done a good job.  I saw for myself the effectiveness of the barrier by Hinksey Lake and the pumping operation in Vicarage Road, where we had 3 feet of water in 2007. The measures pressed for by the Oxford Flood Alliance and put in place have made a big difference; but it is all still on a knife-edge, and we must all keep up the pressure for more works to reduce the risks still further’.

Nicola Blackwood, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, visited areas on the Botley Road and in South Hinksey before moving on  to Abingdon. She saw flood defences working well at Bullstake Close, Botley Road. In sharp contrast, in South Hinksey there was flooding of seven houses, with water which seems very likely to have been contaminated by overflowing sewers. Ms Blackwood is taking up this and other issues on behalf of residents.
Sewers and/or surface water systems appear to have been overloaded too in the Grandpont area, and parts at least of the Botley Road area. This is of great concern and demands urgent investigation and remedy.

Flooding on the way AGAIN? – government funding sorely needed

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24 November 2012

Today we’re watching river levels rise and fields flooding; it‘s still raining and more is forecast. Will properties flood again?

The Oxford Flood Strategy flood prevention scheme, produced by the Environment Agency after years of work, was going to cost £150 million. The government’s new partnership funding scheme, introduced subsequently, would provide 7% of the money required. 93%, about £140 million, would have to come from the County, the City, the Vale, businesses, and residents. That’s totally unrealistic.

Every flood costs a huge amount. Only government has sufficient capital to invest to stop this recurring problem. But the government doesn’t seem to appreciate that money spent on flood defences is money exceedingly well spent. In economic terms alone it’s TEN TIMES better value than the controversial HS2 rail scheme.

Changing weather patterns look set to make flooding more and more common. Throughout Holland defences are designed to limit flooding to once in 1000 years or better. The Oxford Flood Strategy offered 1 in 75-100 year protection; at present we have almost none.

This country could afford adequate flood defences if the political will were there. The government must grasp the issue, supplement the present funding scheme, and invest serious money. Failure to do so will cost far, far more. And that’s not counting the human misery.

Maintenance

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15 September 2012

The main waterways in the western flood plain, Hinksey Stream, Drain, Bulstake Stream etc. have been cleared of vegetation and a good deal of silt by the EA in the past few years. Clearly, to make the most of them and the new associated structures (such as the large new flood culverts under the railway access road) they need to be kept clear. We have already set up a monitoring system, but it is for dealing with local problems or isolated matters such as fallen trees, see Maintenance. For longer stretches of weed and silt, we need a different approach. We will talk to our partners – the Environment Agency, Oxford City and the Oxford Area Flood Partnership, to see how we can best ensure proper maintenance in the years ahead. We have begun this, and will be pursuing it in the coming weeks and months. We may be able to report some progress by our Annual Public Meeting in November – let’s hope so anyway!

An key meeting planned

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10 July 2012

OFA is hosting a meeting with our partners, to develop proposals for further flood relief for Oxford

There have been significant changes in recent months in the way flood risk management is funded. Partners are being encouraged to work together to find cost effective solutions and to tackle all types of flood risk in a joined up way.  Oxford had been identified as a priority area for attention based on the potential number of homes at significant risk. OFA has learned that the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) is keen to promote flood risk management measures in areas such as Oxford and that funding to assist in the development of schemes is potentially available.
The Committee, which approves the programme of schemes in the Thames region, has invited proposals large or small where the cost-benefit analysis can be shown to be positive. The Committee is receptive to proposals from the lead local flood authority, which for Oxford is Oxfordshire County Council, to understand and address surface water risks and the relationship with river flooding. It is also interested in re-examining work undertaken as part of the Oxford Flood Risk Management Strategy to establish whether any of the works can be taken forward under the new funding regime.  Collaboration between local agencies and cost sharing are being encouraged under new government rules.
In response to this opportunity OFA has convened a meeting of the County, City and Vale Councils, the Environment Agency and Network Rail to discuss potential schemes which might be put forward. The meeting will take place on 27 July in South Hinksey.
A considerable amount of time and money went into modelling the aborted £100m Oxford Flood Risk Management Scheme. We believe elements of this scheme could be turned into fundable proposals. Also a number of measures suggested by OFA over the last few years could be taken up.
We have had a very positive response from the various local bodies to the idea of a meeting and are looking forward to working with them. We will keep you informed of the outcomes of the meeting.