Fields to save homes from flooding
7:00 - 12-May-2008
Hull City Council has joined forces with local authorities in Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Edinburgh and Hamburg to share expertise and bid for European Union (EU) funding.
It is bidding for almost one million euros to create a number of specially designed water storage areas, called “aqua greens”.
Water will be channelled into the areas and away from homes by altering the gradient of the surrounding land.
The water will then simply remain there until it subsides into the ground.
In identifying the areas, the council will be considering factors such as the soil conditions and the possible impact on residents.
One potential location has already been identified, alongside Setting Dyke, on the corner of Wold Road and Wymersley Road in west Hull.
The dyke was possibly the worst-hit watercourse in the summer flooding, with more than 3,000 homes in the surrounding area flooding after it burst its banks.
The move has been welcomed by flood experts at a local and national level.
Councillor Dave Woods, the council's portfolio holder for the environment, said the link-up with the other four European ports could be invaluable.
He said: “We are a group of communities with similar potential problems.
“We want to link together with places that have a lot of expertise and work with them to better protect ourselves from flooding.”
The council's strategic planning manager Alex Codd, who is heading the project, said: “The aim of the 'aqua greens' is to redirect the route of the water into these areas so the water soaks into the ground, rather than running straight into the sewers or rivers.
“We want to channel the water into these areas and away from properties.”
Professor Tom Coulthard, chairman of the Independent Review Board, which investigated the Hull floods, has backed the idea, as has Mary Dhonau, chair of the National Flood Forum.
The council will discover next month if its bid for EU funding to create an “aqua green” in Setting Dyke to prevent flooding has been successful.