MAINTENANCE – ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Softly spoken
The UK is known for its
unpredictable weather.
One minute we’ve got
sunshine, and then suddenly
a downpour of rain.
Unfortunately, mass rainfall can lead to
river levels rising and banks bursting,
putting lives at risk and severely damaging
domestic and commercial properties.
Earlier this year, Operations Engineer
highlighted a range of products and
equipment that can aid in ooding
scenarios – before, during and after
they happen (see links). However, river
management, or ood management, is
another strategy that can be deployed to
try and tame the environment.
Flood management techniques can
typically be divided into two options:
hard engineering and soft engineering.
Hard engineering involves building
arti cial structures such as dams and
embankments, while soft engineering
instead takes a more sustainable and
natural approach to managing the
potential for ooding. Both have their
The Environment Agency, along with a variety of partner organisations, is
celebrating 10 years of successful soft engineering along rivers in Cumbria,
England
By Adam O ord | Images from Environment Agency
advantages and disadvantages. It is said
that hard engineering, for example, can
often be more e ective at preventing
ooding, but some methods are very
expensive, can harm the environment
and destroy habitats. Soft engineering,
meanwhile, is environmentally friendly,
aesthetically pleasing and requires
less maintenance, but can also be less
e ective than hard engineering and can
take a lot of time.
Both techniques will, of course, have
their supporters, but it is true to say
that a major focus for many people and
companies in recent years has been
around environmental protection. Indeed,
this year, the Environment Agency is
celebrating 10 years of successfully using
the soft engineering method alongside
rivers in Cumbria, northwest England.
A variety of techniques have been used
at di erent locations, including river
restoration, tree planting and habitat
creation.
The works, funded through shing
licence sales, are said to have improved
habitats and water quality, protected
sh and encouraged more people to get
outside throughout Cumbria and the
Scottish borders.
“This has been a great programme
to work on over the last 10 years,” says
Environment Agency project lead Mike
Farrell. “it’s good to see that all our hard
work has paid o .”
The numbers are certainly impressive:
in total, 130 projects involving 219
di erent partner organisations, such
as school pupils, local angling clubs,
associations and environmentalists,
have been completed over the 10 year
period. But what sort of soft engineering
techniques have been used?
As part of the works, the
Environment Agency has coordinated
planting of 32,000 trees across the
county. This is said to be providing a
range of bene ts for both residents
and the wildlife, including river bank
Student volunteers Barren banks worsen fl ooding
78 www.operationsengineer.org.uk Autumn 2020
/www.operationsengineer.org.uk