Slowing the Flow Project

Slow the flow dam

Log dam, slowing the flow project

Slowing the Flow Project

Natural flood management

We began work on the South West Peak Slowing the Flow Project last year.

Pressures from climate change and human activity mean that floods have begun to occur more often and when they do occur, result in costlier damage. The Landscape Partnership has embarked on a five-year natural flood management project in the Peak District National Park, which is serving as the lead partner for this scheme.

We will be working on this issue in a cost-effective and ecologically sound way. A number of activities including restoring wetlands, floodplains, and riverbank woodlands, will restore rivers’ natural flood defences, help us to reduce downstream flooding, improve water quality and enhance biodiversity.

The project is part of the South West Peak Landscape Partnership Scheme  and is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Environment Agency.

What is "Slowing the Flow"?

Slowing the Flow is a natural flood management technique which temporary holds rainwater in the headwaters during a storm event. This temporary storage helps to reduce speed and the amount of peak flow going downstream.

Methods used utilise the landscape to temporarily hold water. They can be extremely cost effective and with careful design and planning can have minimal impact on current land use of farming.

This project aims to help landowners install natural flood management features across the landscape and offer guidance.

Methods – working with nature

Landscape

  • Woodland creation
  • Grazing control to promote tree growth
  • Fencing to reduce over grazing, improve water quality and increase bank vegetation
  • Ground de-compaction to reduce run-off
  • Creating shallow pools and ponds and re-profiling to hold storm water

Watercourse

  • Creating leaky dams by fixing felled trees in rivers or dry channels to slow flow
  • Placing diverter logs to encourage storm flow onto flood plains
  • Upland drain (grip) blocking to increase water retention capacity.

See these methods in the landscape

Benefits

  • Utilises economically unproductive land
  • Improved grazing control
  • Improved natural habitats
  • Reduced chemical inputs to watercourses
  • Less sediment loading into watercourse
  • Reduced soil erosion
  • Carbon banking through upland restoration

Contact

For more information to or speak to someone about possible grants for completing this work call Ashley Deane on 07837 462110 or e-mail adeane@cheshirewt.org.uk

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