5/1/10 Meerstone Way Flood Alleviation Scheme

 As your City Councillors we are very aware that this important flood alleviation scheme has attracted considerable interest, and some criticism, from local residents. We have taken up your concerns with the City Council’s Engineers who have been working on this scheme. Andrew, who lives by the Field in Drivemoor, has taken most of the complaints, and he has ensured that all of the complaints and concerns which have been put to him have been put very robustly and fairly to the City Council.

This note is to provide you with an update.

In July 2007 Gloucester suffered catastrophic flooding which affected the whole city. A number of properties in Meerstone Way, Kinmoor and Jaythorpe next to the field were flooded as water cascaded down the already saturated ground towards these roads. The large quantity of surface water run-off from this area also entered the drainage network and contributed to the flooding of properties downstream adjacent to the Sudbrook, including properties on Wheatway and Painswick Road.

Funds were made available from a number of sources to progress a range of flood alleviation schemes across the city. These schemes will reduce the future risk of people’s homes being devastated by floodwater. One of these schemes was designed to deal with the flooding here. It has been funded through the Government’s Flood Relief Fund and Gloucestershire County Council. 

The scheme was designed to retain surface water run-off within the field to keep it away from residents’ homes. It involved remodelling the ground to provide a lower area that could hold water in times of heavy rain. That part of the scheme was implemented and completed in October 2009.

Following the heavy rain and higher groundwater levels during the autumn and winter months, the pond filled at a faster rate than envisaged.  An added factor was the ground conditions - the contractors uncovered large areas of builders’ rubble, which allowed water to pass through it more quickly and enter the pond. 

Although such ponds are a common and successful flood prevention features in many parts of the country, there was some local concern expressed about health and safety issues in respect of the pond. Whilst these concerns were being reviewed we arranged for the water to be mechanically pumped out, though this can only be a short-term measure due the restrictions imposed by Severn Trent Water Ltd.

The scheme had a designed “phase 2” element, just in case it was needed.  At the outset the Council did not, and could not, know whether phase 2 would be needed or not and a pragmatic ‘try it out and see’ approach was adopted.  With Phase 1 completed it quickly became evident that we would need to take up the second phase option.

 

Phase 2 involves connecting the pond by a series of pipes and chambers, to the surface water drainage system in the highway. This will enable the water to flow out of the pond in a strictly controlled manner, and into the highway drainage system. These works are underway at the moment and will be completed in the next week or two, depending on the weather.. Once the connection to the main sewers is completed the temporary mechanical pumping of the water will cease and the water will drain out at a regulated rate, in line with the limitations set by Severn Trent Water.

During, and immediately after, particularly heavy rainfall there will be some water in the collection pond. This is actually a sign of the pond doing its job.  The water will be automatically drained off, and not retained there permanently.  Of course, during periods of prolonged rainfall there will be times when this will take some while, as ‘new’ water will be entering the pond. Again, this is a sign of the flood prevention measure doing its job.

As with all work involving digging up the ground this is messy work and the wet ground and time of year have not helped. It is clearly not possible to do a full landscaping job in the middle of winter. However, the Council will be undertaking tree planting to enhance the whole area as soon as the ground works are finished. Five mature trees are to be planted when the ground conditions and weather allow. In the spring, when the weather allows, the Council will also re-grass any areas that have been disturbed during these works.

All flood alleviation schemes are unique, and there are no “off the shelf” solutions. They do take time to design and implement and it is often necessary to revisit initial designs in the light of how they perform on the ground. This scheme has been commended by both Severn Trent Water and the Environment Agency.

This is a very good flood alleviation scheme that will protect residents, both nearby and downstream, from the horrors of having their homes flooded, and it is important to note that by regulating the runoff from the field into the Sudbrook we also reduce the risk of flooding to other houses further downstream.

We do apologise for any inconvenience caused by these works. We all value this local area of green space in our area. It’s down to Andrew that we have the goal posts there for the football games, and also down to him that we have the millennium trees on the Field, and we’re all going to ensure that the we get our Field back to its usual tip top condition once all of these works are completed.  

If you require any further information on the scheme or the other flood related projects being undertaken by the Gloucester City Council, please contact Wayne Best at the City Council on 01452 396307 (Email - Wayne.Best@gloucester.gov.uk).

Or please feel free to contact any of us.

Yours sincerely, and with best wishes for 2010.

 

Cllr. Andrew Gravells	Cllr. Norman Ravenhill	Cllr. Gordon Taylor
Tel  503974	Tel  549086	Tel 07970 129872 or 535358
andrew.gravells@gloucestershire.gov.uk	norman.ravenhill@gloucester.gov.uk	gordon.taylor@gloucester.gov.uk