Bromsgrove | Redditch | Wyre Forest
North Worcestershire Water Management
Flood risk management and types of flooding
Flood risk is managed by the North Worcestershire Water Management Service in various ways. The development of flood defence schemes, precautionary inspections and enforcement of maintenance on ordinary watercourses along with involvement in the planning process to assure that the flood risk at a development site is minimised whilst not increasing the flood risk elsewhere.
It is, however, a fact that some areas within our districts are susceptible to flooding. We have developed multi-agency flood plans that are valuable sources of information, advice and guidance for all professional agencies responsible for civil protection, including the emergency services. In addition, several of the parish councils within our districts have prepared community emergency plans that, among others, deal with flooding issues.
Being prepared for flooding could save your life and property. Completing a personalised flood plan will help you to decide what practical actions to take before and during a flood, which will help reduce the damage flooding will cause.
Floods can happen anywhere at anytime. Even if you live miles away from a river there is still a chance flooding can affect you.
The most common sources of flooding are:
- River flooding - occurs when a watercourse cannot cope with the water draining into it from the surrounding land. This type of flooding generally happens after prolonged, extensive rain.
- Surface water flooding - occurs when heavy rainfall overwhelms the drainage capacity of the local area. It is difficult to predict and pinpoint; much more so than river flooding. Surface water flooding usually occurs after periods of intense rain.
- Sewer flooding - occurs when sewers are overwhelmed by heavy rainfall or when they become blocked. The likelihood of flooding depends on the capacity of the local sewerage system. Land and property can be flooded with water contaminated with raw sewage as a result.
- Reservoir flooding - occurs when a dam that normally holds water above ground level fails. This would result in a large volume of water being released very quickly.
- Ground water flooding - occurs when the level of water in the ground rises above the surface, and is most likely to occur in areas overlain by permeable rocks or aquifers.
The Environment Agency has produced interactive flood maps that show the risk of river and reservoir flooding. These maps can be accessed via the ‘What's in your backyard?’ section of their website.