Managing flood risk in East Yorkshire

PEOPLE IN EAST YORKSHIRE are being asked to have their say on long term plans for managing flood risks. Many of Yorkshire’s rivers, along with the River Trent in the Midlands, either run through the western side of East Yorkshire or drain into the Humber Estuary. This means that plans for managing flood risk on the rivers Derwent, Ouse, Aire, Calder, Don and the Trent will be of interest to people in East Yorkshire. Consultation on these plans will run from 29 January – 23 April.

Known as Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs), these documents identify the causes, scale and location of flood risk along each river. The Environment Agency then uses this information to work out the most appropriate approach or ‘policy’ for managing the various flood risks.

Policies can range from working with and not against natural processes, to active measures such as building new defences. CFMPs set the scene and the framework to guide our future flood management activities. They do not include detailed actions or localised information on specific projects.

Martin Slater, the Environment Agency’s regional CFMP manager, said:

This is particularly important in East Yorkshire, which is unique in that it is affected by several CFMPs. Other people and organisations across the whole area will be able to comment but our consultation is focused on East Yorkshire.”

Consultation will take place in a few months on a similar CFMP now being developed for the rest of East Yorkshire and Hull where the streams drain to the River Hull, the Humber Estuary or the sea.

Futher Information: Environment Agency - CFMPs