A cleaner and greener borough with the Environment Agency

Date published: 28 June 2019

Hello from everyone at the Environment Agency and welcome to our latest round-up exclusively for Rochdale Online. It is hard to believe that we are already firmly into summer and, when we look to the weather, we are sure you will agree that it has had quite the start.

Read on to find out how we have been dealing with floods, fish and all the day-to-day activities that protect our environment at the start of this new season.

---

Keeping the main river network moving

Our Operations Team have the vital job of keeping all of our flood defence assets working and making sure that rivers around Rochdale, Greater Manchester and beyond can flow freely in order to reduce flood risk.

When it comes to general maintenance where and when we go depends on the location, time of year and rainfall. Debris screens across Rochdale are checked at least every two weeks with rubbish, both man-made and natural (such as tree branches) often accumulating quickly.

Since our last round-up in March, the team have been especially busy thanks to the recent bout of wet weather.

You can read our last round-up here:

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/126985/a-cleaner-and-greener-borough-with-the-environment-agency

More than 200 debris screens have been regularly cleared and our teams have worked through the night across Greater Manchester to ensure residents do not fall victim to flooding as a result of a blocked screen.

Of course, the best time to prepare for a flood is before it happens, and our team are working hard behind the scenes to reduce flood risk to homes and businesses across the country every day. This month, local outfalls, or the discharge point of a stream into a body of water, have received some TLC with outlets on both the River Roch and Spodden being checked, cleared and greased.

Health and safety is also a really important factor for the team. Clearing debris screens and maintaining structures near watercourses mean there are obvious dangers such as drowning. The team wear life jackets and during a flood have to tether themselves to make sure they don’t get washed away.

However, even in the summer when water levels are lower, you never know what you might find. The team could trip over a bike that someone has dumped into the water or come across a sharp bit of metal or used needles in the debris.

Sadly, thanks to a culture of 'out of sight, out of mind' when it comes to waste, finding objects that do not belong in a watercourse happens far more often than you might think. That is why we always tell people - if you see a blockage or anything unusual in a watercourse, call us on our incident hotline 0800 80 70 60. Local residents really are our eyes and ears on the ground and once we know about it, we can take action.

Next on the list for our Operations team will be some watercourse maintenance including grass and weed cutting for the River Roch and River Spodden at Daniel Street as well as Townhouse brook, Featherstall brook and Buckley brook. If you do spot us in these areas over the coming weeks, don’t forget to give us a wave. It makes our day when we do get the chance to interact with residents.

 

 

Taking the next step in flood risk management

Following the high river levels and Flood Warnings that were issued throughout June, it seems timely to update you on progress for the Rochdale and Littleborough Flood Risk Scheme.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/127263/rochdale-and-littleborough-flood-risk-scheme-to-begin-work-in-early-2020

While the scheme itself is still being finalised, flood resilience remains a top priority for Rochdale and over the last couple of weeks, our team have been working closely with Rochdale Borough Council to speak to residents and businesses who may have been affected by the recent bad weather.

The scheme itself is still making progress. You may remember the construction of the Scheme is planned to be in two phases – Phase 1 (Littleborough) and Phase 2 (Rochdale – downstream of Smithy Bridge).

We are phasing the construction works in this way because by beginning upstream, the benefits will include a reduced flood risk for residents and businesses in Littleborough, Smallbridge and Rochdale at the earliest opportunity.

We hope that the Detailed Design for Phase 1 (in Littleborough) will be submitted for planning by autumn 2019 with a view to being on site by the first half of 2020. Construction looks set to start in Rochdale at the beginning of 2021 with the scheme completing by construction by 2023/24 - subject to all approvals being in place.

Once completed, the future flood scheme will increase the level of protection to 1,000 residential properties as well as critical infrastructure such as the tram network, bus station, a grid sub-station as well as a waste water treatment works and we hope to hold hope to hold a number of drop-in sessions in the coming months to give residents and businesses an update on the progress. Watch this space for more information about those.

It is worth noting, that even with flood defences in place, you can never entirely remove the risk of flooding. The recent wet weather has reminded us all of the importance of being prepared and you can check your risk as well as signing up for free flood warnings by phoning Floodline, on 0345 988 1188, or by going online:

• www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings.

 

 

Dry weather

It might seem strange to be talking about the effects of dry weather when we have just emerged from a couple of very wet weeks but unfortunately, it is an issue that needs to be addressed. Many of us will remember last year when we all experienced at least eight weeks of glorious sunshine.

Last year was the hottest summer on record for England and joint hottest for the UK but the exceptional conditions caused chaos for our environment. From May to July, rainfall was just 54% of the long-term average, causing a rapid deterioration to groundwater, reservoirs, river flows and water available to wildlife.

Our local rivers, groundwater and reservoirs just about coped with last year’s dry weather but with 131 weather related incidents reported to us, the situation was by no means a sunny outlook.

Over the summer of 2018, our field teams in Greater Manchester responded to a significant increase in the overall numbers and severity of water pollution incidents. These incidents were caused by, or exacerbated by, prolonged dry weather meaning the effects were much worse than they otherwise would have been. For instance, we saw a 35% increase in the number of incidents resulting in fish deaths as well as low flows and algal blooms in several watercourses across the region.

Luckily, it was not all bad news. A combination of extensive work to save water and enough rainfall just in time meant that household restrictions or ‘hosepipe bans’ were avoided in 2018, although at times they were a real possibility. 

Sadly, despite a slightly improved water resources situation compared to this time last year, the picture in England is not yet back to normal and there is every chance that we will find ourselves in a similar position this summer.

Our hydrology experts are already out monitoring river flows and groundwater and we are encouraging farmers to carry out health checks of their abstraction licences now, to make sure they are as fit as possible to meet their current and future water needs.

When it comes to saving water however, we can all play a part. By thinking savvy and looking at the way we use water in our homes, we can once again avoid restrictions come summer. Simple changes including only washing full loads in your washing machine or dishwasher, turning the tap off when you brush your teeth and avoiding using the hosepipe may all help to ensure a positive outcome for our water resources and that is a win-win scenario for all of us.

 

 

Casting the net to encourage more young anglers

We have recently teamed up with Ramsbottom Angling Society and Bury Council to encourage junior anglers to get into fishing. The aim is to create a ‘fishing and coaching centre of excellence’ at Bury’s Clarence Park Lido and as part of this, Team EA arranged a tour with the Ramsbottom Angling Society to the Calverton national coarse fish hatchery in Nottingham. Approximately 20 adults and children visited the fish hatchery to tour the facilities and were given a presentation on hatching and rearing different fish species that make up more than 5000,000 fish produced each year to restock nationally.

The initiative followed a habitat improvement report we commissioned on the Lido. This report enabled the angling society to gain grants to make improvements. To date they have installed wheelchair barriers at the water’s edge, floating islands, submerged reefs, submerged fish refuges, pre-planted coir rolls and mains electric to power floating aerators if there is a problem with algal blooms.

To aid the success of the coaching session and improve fish stock levels, the Environment Agency have also carried out a fish stocking programme to reinstate Roach, Bream and Trench. All the fish were provided by The Environment Agency’s national coarse fish hatchery at Calverton, Nottingham.

Clarence Park is the largest urban local community park in the borough of bury. Three years ago, the Angling Club opened a classroom at the lido to run junior coaching sessions. The young people are taught all aspects of angling and the natural environment including the countryside code.

 

 

Stay in touch

Don’t forget you can stay up-to-date with the latest news and information from the Environment Agency on Twitter and Instagram at @EnvAgencyNW. 

We look forward to sharing more of our stories and successes with you in August.