Catchment Flood Management

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing concern worldwide about climate change and the corresponding apparent increase in the risk and frequency of flooding and about the implications for a wide range of river basin management issues. This paper describes the United Kingdom government's approach to implementing Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs), which will provide a large-scale strategic planning framework for the integrated management of flood risk to people and the development of the natural environment in a sustainable manner. This unified approach is to be adopted across England and Wales, with a view to establishing a unified framework to study flood management in each major catchment. Following on from this introduction to the U.K. approach to high-level flood management, details are given of a study where better water quality management during flood flow conditions has been shown to require a catchment-wide approach to reducing diffuse source pollution from agricultural regions. This study also shows that without this holistic approach to water management, a major cause of non-compliance with an EU Directive would not have been established for this river basin.