Natural Flood Management (NFM) (e.g. restoring watercourses, riparian tree planting, washland and wetland creation) is a core component of flood risk management strategies in Scotland. However little is known of its potential impact on the farming and land management communities, individual farm businesses, or the socioeconomic impacts and perceptions of its potential wide-spread introduction.
The Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership is made up of Scottish Water, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Canals, South Lanarkshire Council, Clyde Gateway, Scottish Enterprise, Renfrewshire Council, East Dunbartonshire Council and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and represents an innovative approach to water management which meets the objectives of the Hydro Nation Agenda. Since its inception the partnership has sought innovative ways to manage urban water systems that are ultimately sustainable and support the continued growth of Glasgow.
The purpose of this research is to produce a map that demonstrates the scope and scale of Scotland’s water sector and demonstrates how the different parts of the sector link together. It demonstrates how the decision making processes that influence, manage and control Scotland’s water resources are distributed throughout the sector. This research supports the Scottish Government’s Hydro Nation Strategy.
Farmers across Scotland were recently asked about soil science research needs. Drainage and soil structural damage were viewed to be the greatest concern.
Good soil structure and field drainage systems are key to achieving good water quality and minimising flood risk. They are also vital for agricultural productivity and in the greenhouse gas balance of many soil systems.
CREW’s role is to support staff in SG, SEPA and Scottish Water (our end users) in their work to develop and implement water related policy in Scotland. As policy needs evolve, CREW also continues to evolve.
Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters, CREW, delivers objective and robust research and expert opinion to support the development and implementation of water policy in Scotland. During 2012-13 CREW has supported policy teams working on Hydro Nation, flood risk management, catchment management and the Water Framework Directive, drinking water and waste water services, as well as wider policy.
The December 2013 edition of CREWs NEWs is available now. Find out about CREW events, projects, contract opportunities and competitions as well as news and events from the wider water sector. If you have any comments about CREWs NEWs or would like to advertise an upcoming event please get in touch.
In urban areas, the impacts of surface water flooding can be very severe as such environments are generally densely populated and contain vital infrastructure. In recent years there have been regular occurrences of urban flooding in many parts of the UK with surface water flooding accounting for approximately one-third of flood risk from all sources (Houston et al., 2011).
A short policy paper has been requested by Scottish Government via the call down service, detailing the issues managers come up against when implementing NFM in relation to UK reservior legislation. Information is sought on whether these issues still apply under the new Reservoirs Act.