Organisations working together to restore the land, water and nature throughout the River Deben have secured close to £300,000 in funding to help reduce the risk of flooding.
Severe Flooding in Debenham
More than 70 properties including homes and commercial units in Debenham, Suffolk, were severely impacted following heavy rainfall caused by Storm Babet in October 2023.
Natural Flood Storage Areas Planned
Now, the East Suffolk Catchment Partnership have secured £280,000 of funding from the Environment Agency’s Water Environment Improvement Fund through the Recovering the Deben: From Source to Sea initiative, to create two new natural flood storage areas, which will help lower the risk of flooding downstream in the Deben catchment.
Additionally, the new ponds will help improve the water quality within the upper River Deben, by trapping sediment and nutrients, and provide seasonal habitats for overwintering birds and great crested newts, which are known to be prevalent within the area.
A Collaborative Effort
The partnership includes representatives from conservation, councils, farming and other industries who have joined forces with landowners to make a real difference to the health of the river.
Confirmation of the funding is a significant milestone for the partnership, who are hoping to make more improvements to improve the health of the Deben.
Helen George, Natural Flood Management Co-ordinator, for the Environment Agency in East Anglia said:
“We’re pleased to be working in partnership to bring this natural flood management project to life, a key recommendation from the recent flood investigation in Debenham".
“Helping communities in becoming more resilient to our changing climate is something the Environment Agency is proud to deliver”.
Helen Dangerfield, Director at Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust added: “It is great to see the real action happening as part of the Recovering the Deben: From Source to Sea project". “There is no time to waste in finding solutions to help the river, nature and adapt to climate change. This is the first of many actions needed to help restore the natural functioning of the river.”
Project Details
The first flood storage and wetland area will be created at Winston Green with a capacity for up to 14,500 m3 of floodwater, while an additional wetland pond at Roamwood Farm will provide storage of between 6,000m3 and 8,000m3. The project at Winston Green will be delivered this Spring with the second following on later in the year.
About the River Deben Project
Recovering the Deben: From Source to Sea is a collaborative effort to develop an action plan to restore the land, water, and nature throughout the River Deben catchment and estuary. Both drought and flood are issues on the River Deben which are vital to tackle given the increasing impacts of climate change. Previous pilot projects have been successful in storing water and providing benefits for wildlife. The project will deliver transformative action to recover the River Deben for people to love and wildlife to thrive.
Get Involved
Please contact us about the project if you would like to get involved or would like to consider flood storage on your land. More information about the project, including the action plan to recover the Deben can be found on the Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust website: Recovering the Deben from Source to Sea.
Comments