GRANTS are being offered to farmers and landowners for projects that will slow the flow of water and reduce the risks of flooding across Somerset.

Somerset Rivers Authority has earmarked £550,000 for natural flood management activities that will benefit roads, villages and towns - and improve the environment for people and wildlife. It’s part of an approach that looks at whole catchments.

“There isn’t one solution to flooding. We need a range of solutions,” says Cllr John Osman, chair of

the SRA.

Somerset Rivers Authority is part-funding the creation of ten acres of new woodland in the catchment of the River Isle, which feeds into the Parrett.

A fairly steep section of land on Ewen Cameron’s estate at Dillington near Ilminster will no longer be used for grazing. Instead, it’s been planted with a mix of 6,000 native broadleaf trees, set about 6ft apart, so as to provide

denser cover than usual and slow the flow of water from slope to valley stream.

The land features on a map of ‘flow pathways’: that is, places where water is known to run during times of heavy rainfall. Trees can intercept or interrupt flow pathways.

Lord Cameron said: “This is part of the catchment of the River Isle, it’s a small little bowl that runs into the River Isle, and clearly if you get a lot of rain, trees are far better at stopping the flow of water rushing down into the stream, rushing into the River Isle and into the Parrett, causing the flooding we’ve had recently, so if we can plant the trees, it slows the water down, and that’s what we are trying to achieve.”

The scheme is mostly being funded by the Forestry Commission, under a new Countryside Stewardship scheme, but the SRA has contributed nine per cent of the cost so as to maximise the flood reduction benefits.

Cllr John Osman, chairman of Somerset Rivers Authority, said: “During the flooding crisis a lot of people criticised work which wasn’t done 20 years ago, such as dredging, so planning for the future now is important. This is something which is fairly low-cost, it’s good for the environment and it will play a critical part if we can replicate this kind of scheme around the county.

“I look forward to more people coming forward. We’ve got the money available for natural flood defence schemes like this and we look forward to having a conversation with anyone who thinks they can assist.

“We need more schemes like this, on the Mendips, on the Quantocks, on Exmoor. If we can slow the flow of water then hopefully we can prevent so many problems happening in the future.”

Ben Thorne, senior farm conservation officer with FWAG SW, and leader of the SRA’s land management work, said that schemes did not have to be large-scale: “We’re looking for planting in strategic locations, that can make a difference: like steep slopes, like corners, next to roads, next to rivers. It has to be the right type of planting, in the right place.”