Should we be Building more canals?

[tzijlstra]

In low-lying flood sensitive areas canals can be helpful as a means to control water flow. Think the York basin for example, but it would be a big, big job to even get close to efficient water management that way. The problem with the flash-points where we have seen a lot of flooding (Lake district, Manchester, Leeds and here in Sheffield in 2007) is that the rivers are forced through artificial canals that have limited capacity yet the rivers are the only active de-watering channels for the hills surrounding the city/town.

 

There are plenty of possibilities to do more with active water management though, providing artificial flood-exits from rivers that are known to flood, taking the water around the populated areas and enabling new floodplanes is perfectly possible and needs to be considered in places where it is getting out of hand.

 

This is a map of Grijpskerk in the Netherlands, it flooded in 2002/3 (if I remember correctly) and again a few years later, in particular the rail-line was incapacitated causing big economic loss. The big canal going East-West is a major shipping canal and there is a big lock in it at Gaarkeuken. Due to this lock it is difficult to manage the water either side of it and the two small rivers running into it East of the lock (Hoerediep and Kommerzijlsterdiep) burst their banks when the canal could not effectively be lowered due to a stormtide at sea.

 

What they did in the past few years was designate the area between the railway line and the canal as a floodbasin and dug many more new canals (ditches, most no more than 1-2 meters wide) to ensure increased capacity for surface water. Grijpskerk has not flooded since and is very unlikely to do so again even at a catastrophic rain-level as we have seen in Cumbria this month.

 

So it is possible to manage water and flooding using canals, provided there is the landscape to do so. There is very little you can do against water running off the moors and into rivers in their own valleys other than planting trees on the moors, which needs to happen as a matter of priority.

[petemcewan]

Foxy Lady.

 

Very good idea.Fat chance that this government will enact such a thing.

It looks like the government is incapable of coming up with a long term solution to flooding.

[tinfoilhat]

In low-lying flood sensitive areas canals can be helpful as a means to control water flow. Think the York basin for example, but it would be a big, big job to even get close to efficient water management that way. The problem with the flash-points where we have seen a lot of flooding (Lake district, Manchester, Leeds and here in Sheffield in 2007) is that the rivers are forced through artificial canals that have limited capacity yet the rivers are the only active de-watering channels for the hills surrounding the city/town.

 

There are plenty of possibilities to do more with active water management though, providing artificial flood-exits from rivers that are known to flood, taking the water around the populated areas and enabling new floodplanes is perfectly possible and needs to be considered in places where it is getting out of hand.

 

This is a map of Grijpskerk in the Netherlands, it flooded in 2002/3 (if I remember correctly) and again a few years later, in particular the rail-line was incapacitated causing big economic loss. The big canal going East-West is a major shipping canal and there is a big lock in it at Gaarkeuken. Due to this lock it is difficult to manage the water either side of it and the two small rivers running into it East of the lock (Hoerediep and Kommerzijlsterdiep) burst their banks when the canal could not effectively be lowered due to a stormtide at sea.

 

What they did in the past few years was designate the area between the railway line and the canal as a floodbasin and dug many more new canals (ditches, most no more than 1-2 meters wide) to ensure increased capacity for surface water. Grijpskerk has not flooded since and is very unlikely to do so again even at a catastrophic rain-level as we have seen in Cumbria this month.

 

So it is possible to manage water and flooding using canals, provided there is the landscape to do so. There is very little you can do against water running off the moors and into rivers in their own valleys other than planting trees on the moors, which needs to happen as a matter of priority.

 

Which the current government and/or the EU don't want farmers to do.

[tzijlstra]

Which the current government and/or the EU don't want farmers to do.

 

Can you elaborate on that as I don't have a scooby what you are talking about?

[tinfoilhat]

Can you elaborate on that as I don't have a scooby what you are talking about?

 

Planting trees on moorland - government/Eu don't want them to do it. There's a link knocking about in the Sheffield flooding thread.

 

We all know it makes sense - just look at Nepal as an example of mass deforestation.

[tzijlstra]

Planting trees on moorland - government/Eu don't want them to do it. There's a link knocking about in the Sheffield flooding thread.

 

We all know it makes sense - just look at Nepal as an example of mass deforestation.

 

As far as I am concerned, without a proper source, that is the typical anti-EU drivel that this forum (and the country of England) is rive with.

 

Have a look here.

[tinfoilhat]

As far as I am concerned, without a proper source, that is the typical anti-EU drivel that this forum (and the country of England) is rive with.

 

Have a look here.

 

No, it's a case of "I can't be arsed to go through the forum to look for a link". It's a George monbiot article. Have look. And as I said, it might not have been the eu it might have been our own government. Or both. Can't remember, and as of now, don't care either.

[Longcol]

No, it's a case of "I can't be arsed to go through the forum to look for a link". It's a George monbiot article. Have look. And as I said, it might not have been the eu it might have been our own government. Or both. Can't remember, and as of now, don't care either.

 

I think this is the article being referred to.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/13/flooding-public-spending-britain-europe-policies-homes?CMP=share_btn_fb

[lottiecass]

As far as I am concerned, without a proper source, that is the typical anti-EU drivel that this forum (and the country of England) is rive with.

 

Have a look here.

 

Its rife tz,I thought you would have some input being from the land of canals.The dutch engineers drained the Isle of axholme near Donny and is still arable farmland,if it can be done there it can be done anywhere,look at your homeland.It appears this country will keep on flooding until something positive is done,the warnings regarding global warming might be taken into account when its too late for some.