Managing flood water
Managing and planning for floods
Flood water can come from rivers and the sea. We are developing flood management plans for both types of flooding. These are called Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs) for rivers, and Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) for sea flooding and coastal erosion. These consider a large area of land, so that we can assess how defending from flooding in one area may have an effect elsewhere.
Changes of land use, such as building houses or putting down concrete can also have an effect on flood risk. Because of this, we advise against developments that will have an adverse affect on flooding. Find a full list of our objections to large-scale developments by following the Development and Flood Risk link below.
- Development and Flood Risk
Building in the floodplain can hugely increase the chance of flooding. These reports tell you the developments we have objected to, and whether Local Planning Authorities followed our advice. - Flood defences
Probably the most visible sign of Flood Risk Management is flood defences. As well as building hard defences of concrete or metal, we try to use natural processes wherever possible to reduce flood risk.
- Stopping flood defence maintenance at some locations
If you have a sea defence on your property that is usually maintained by us you may be affected. - Catchment Flood Management Plans - the background
Building a flood defence in one place might place more stress on a river elsewhere, sometimes creating a bigger problem than we had before. We are now taking an all-embracing look at a river area, and will manage flood risk according to this bigger picture. - Shoreline Management Plans
These are the coastal equivalents to Catchment Flood Management Plans. Find out about them in more detail here. - Reservoir safety
For raised reservoirs holding large volumes of water, maintaining the dams holding this water in place is vital to public safety. Since 1 October 2004, The Environment Agency has been enforcing safety inspections at reservoirs, and will prosecute where owners do not comply. - Local Authorities and Internal Drainage Boards Funding
On the 1 April 2008 full responsibility for approving and payment of funding for Local Authority and Internal Drainage Boards' studies, strategies and projects will be transferred to the Environment Agency. Find out how future funding will be allocated and how to apply for it. - The Environment Agency and the Agricultural Land Tribunal
We are now the enforcement authority for drainage orders made by Agricultural Land Tribunals in England. Find out more about how this role works. - Channel maintenance
The Environment Agency routinely considers dredging and vegetation management in watercourses to reduce flood risk. Find out more about dredging, de-silting and vegetation management, which are all types of channel maintenance.
