Flooding on the Somerset levels

Photo: King's Sedgmore Drain

The Somerset levels are a totally man made environment. They were first extensively drained by the Church back in the early 17^th century with the help of a Dutch drainage engineer. The clue is in the name of the water course’s like the King’s Sedgmoor Drain. Most of the levels are below sea level (although with a tidal range of 11m defining sea level is interesting). All year round water is pumped from the levels into the man made rivers (or drains) that are designed to store water and allow it out at low tide.

It’s a surprisingly complex drainage system that was managed successfully by local drainage boards comprised of local farmers and land owners. Now responsibility has been transferred to The Environment Agency who promptly decided to save money and for the last 10 years halted the year round work of dredging the rivers. As the head of the local drainage authority said this week, “it was a totally avoidable flood”. Just look at Holland, there has been no severe flooding there this winter.

With the drains being higher than the surrounding land, having allowed the water to spill onto the farm land there is no way to get it back except by pumping. But with 12% of Somerset under water the volumes involved are colossal.

Local knowledge is vital but this is being lost. The blog’s author lives on the levels. The local farm was in the same family for three generations. Unfortunately the next generation did not want to continue farming so it has been sold. The farm has now been split up and has about 20 owners. Some of the land was bought by home owners looking to extend their gardens, another part is now a horse stud, while other fields are let to tenant farmers. Many of the home owners don’t understand that their ditch is actually called a Rhyme and a vital component of the complex drainage system. The problem is who now takes responsibility for ensuring dredging of the ditches happens? It needs every one of the 20 plus land owners to dredge their ditch or else the water can’t flow. This situation is a microcosm of the challenges being faced across the country.

Routine maintenance is not ‘sexey’. It is an on going cost rather like painting the Forth Road bridge. It is too easy for dredging to be the first victim of cuts especially where the local management and ownership has been lost. Initially stopping dredging may have no impact but eventually the inevitable will happen. Until this issue is recognised and a holistic approach taken – flooding is inevitable.