Works Programme. It was set up to deliver greater local control and responsibility
for maintaining and improving water and flood risk management on the Levels and
Moors and across Somerset. The SRA will be a new body with its own Board,
which will include representatives from each of the following partners: the five
District Councils, SCC, the EA, the Parrett/Tone and Axe/Brue IDBs, the Wessex
Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, and NE. Interim funding of £2.7 m has
been secured for the SRA for the 2015/16 financial year, the majority coming from
Defra and DCLG (Department of Communities and Local Government). Local
partners in Somerset, Defra and DCLG are working together to review options for a
sustainable local funding solution for the work of the SRA from 2016/17 onwards.
5.3 Drought Measures Taken Within Somerset
in the Context of Flooding Recovery
Concurrently to the 2013–14 floods, and the emergence of new policies and actions
related to flood risk management, the regional partners on the DROP project (SCC,
FWAG SW, SWT, RSPB) were developing a range of on-the-ground measures to
enhance local resiliency to drought and water scarcity in the region. This section
overviews the specific drought adaptation actions for agriculture and nature taken in
the DROP project by the regional partners SCC and subcontractors FWAG SW, and
SWT across 2013–2015.
5.3.1 Agriculture and Drought Resilience
The changing rainfall patterns under a changing climate are likely to have a profound effect on land management and farming in Somerset. This will result in
additional demand for winter storage of water both to alleviate flooding and also to
cope with reduced summer rainfall. Many farmers may need to consider irrigation
from this winter storage, which could be anything from floodplain retention areas
and creation of wetland habitats, to interception ponds, collection pits and butts.
Farmers will need to implement water conservation measures and explore innovative approaches to water management on farms. In DROP, FWAG SW has
helped farmers and landowners to adapt to these increasing extreme rainfall
patterns.
As a county, Somerset has the greatest variety of soils in England. A soil risk
assessment across the whole county to identify soils at risk of drought is missing
and would be valuable in determining the actions required to make rural areas of the
county more resilient to drought. FWAG SW has done a lot of work on Soil Risk
Assessment for flooding and run-off. Within the DROP project they have altered
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A.L. Browne et al.
for maintaining and improving water and flood risk management on the Levels and
Moors and across Somerset. The SRA will be a new body with its own Board,
which will include representatives from each of the following partners: the five
District Councils, SCC, the EA, the Parrett/Tone and Axe/Brue IDBs, the Wessex
Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, and NE. Interim funding of £2.7 m has
been secured for the SRA for the 2015/16 financial year, the majority coming from
Defra and DCLG (Department of Communities and Local Government). Local
partners in Somerset, Defra and DCLG are working together to review options for a
sustainable local funding solution for the work of the SRA from 2016/17 onwards.
5.3 Drought Measures Taken Within Somerset
in the Context of Flooding Recovery
Concurrently to the 2013–14 floods, and the emergence of new policies and actions
related to flood risk management, the regional partners on the DROP project (SCC,
FWAG SW, SWT, RSPB) were developing a range of on-the-ground measures to
enhance local resiliency to drought and water scarcity in the region. This section
overviews the specific drought adaptation actions for agriculture and nature taken in
the DROP project by the regional partners SCC and subcontractors FWAG SW, and
SWT across 2013–2015.
5.3.1 Agriculture and Drought Resilience
The changing rainfall patterns under a changing climate are likely to have a profound effect on land management and farming in Somerset. This will result in
additional demand for winter storage of water both to alleviate flooding and also to
cope with reduced summer rainfall. Many farmers may need to consider irrigation
from this winter storage, which could be anything from floodplain retention areas
and creation of wetland habitats, to interception ponds, collection pits and butts.
Farmers will need to implement water conservation measures and explore innovative approaches to water management on farms. In DROP, FWAG SW has
helped farmers and landowners to adapt to these increasing extreme rainfall
patterns.
As a county, Somerset has the greatest variety of soils in England. A soil risk
assessment across the whole county to identify soils at risk of drought is missing
and would be valuable in determining the actions required to make rural areas of the
county more resilient to drought. FWAG SW has done a lot of work on Soil Risk
Assessment for flooding and run-off. Within the DROP project they have altered
92
A.L. Browne et al.