somerset levels flooding Flashcards
(8 cards)
when was the somerset levels flooding
December 2013 to January 2014
what is the somerset levels predominantly used for
low-lying land used for farming and human settlement
what were some human causes of the flooding
rivers were not dredged in over 20 years, so capacity was decreased due to increased silt
speed of runoff increased due to farms
development upon floodplains reduced ultrafiltration
what were some physical causes of the flooding
wettest winter in 250 years
saturated soil
drains could not cope with water so roads flooded
Mendips and Quantocks steep slopes increase speed of runoff into low-lying somerset levels
what were some social impacts of the somerset flooding
600 houses flooded
16 farms evacuated
power supplies cut-off
school and shopping effected due to local village closures
what were some economic impacts of somerset flooding
total cost of the flood to be 10 million pounds
over 1000 livestock evacuated
Bristol to Taunton railway closed off at Bridgewater
local road closures
what were some environmental impacts of the flooding
oil, chemicals and sewage contaminated the floodwater
ground under soil became toxic
soil was extremely damaged due to the millions of tonnes of water, preventing oxygen from reaching the ground underneath
insects killed and nutrients removed
what were some management strategies involved to reduce damages
local group called FLAG setup to raise awareness, raise funds, and collect supplies
boats used for shopping and to go to school
40 royal marines from Taunton came in to build sand walls around residents properties
somerset council launched a 20 million pound flood action plan
march 2018, 8km of river Tone and Parratt dredged to remove a total of 130k cubic metres of silt, costing 6 million pounds
