Environment Agency pledges to stand by river pumping stations

Alexandra Wood

THE Environment Agency has pledged not to abandon vital pumping stations along the River Hull.

The future of the stations has been of major concern to local people since the agency suggested decommissioning the four it now maintains in the middle and upper reaches of the river.

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Following an outcry, the plans, which included the controversial creation of a massive flood storage area at Leven Carrs, were shelved.

However there is still a question mark over how the agency will fund the stations’ long-term maintenance.

But Hull strategy manager Helen Todd said it “would not walk away”.

She said at some point the stations would reach the end of their working life, and it was “unknown” how their replacements would be funded.

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However she said: “If we identify funding is going to be an issue we are not going to walk away. We will be instrumental in finding out what opportunities there are to fund them.”

Funding could come from a number of sources – as has recently happened at Kilnsea, where half the funding for new flood banks came from a local levy, via the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee, the East Riding Council put in 25 per cent and residents raised the rest through grants.

The remarks came as the agency announced the start of consultation on long-term plans for managing flood risk from rivers in East Yorkshire.

Many of Yorkshire’s rivers – including the Aire and the Trent – drain into the Humber Estuary and the Agency has drawn up “catchment flood management plans” looking at how to deal with the risk of flooding from seven rivers over a 50 to 100-year time period.

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Policies range from continuing to use washlands along the rivers as natural floodplains to building new defences. However, they do not include localised information on specific projects.

A 12-week consultation starting on Friday ends on April 23.

Martin Slater, the Environment Agency’s regional catchment flood management plan manager, said: “There has been previous consultation on these plans and the information provided to us has been used to revise and update them. In some cases, the proposed policy decisions have changed. We are now consulting again on our further drafts of all these plans.

“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.”

Meanwhile in early April consultation will begin on the flood management plan for the river Hull, as well as a separate flood risk management strategy for the area, which has considered everything from impounding the river to diverting river channels.

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Some 100,000 properties are at risk of flooding in Hull, while less than 1,000 are at risk in the East Riding including areas in Dunswell and Cottingham. Yesterday the agency could not give any more detail on the draft options but said it was talking to Hull Council about plans to improve riverbanks within the city, many of which are in private ownership.

But officials stressed that even when the strategy was completed it will be open to change. The flood management plans are updated every five years.

Hard copies of the first seven plans will be available at Goole library and the Environment Agency’s offices at Albion Mills in Willerby, Hull.

A CD is also available either by calling Karen Parker on 01904 822636 or emailing necfmps@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Information is also available on the website www.environment-agency.gov.uk/cfmp.