Posted on September 19, 2016
By Victoria Prest, The Press
Parts of the Foss could be dredged by the Environment Agency, as they fight to prevent a repeat of last winter’s floods.
The Environment Agency (EA) is considering dredging some local high points in the river, to improve the flow of water. Engineers are also looking at how well weirs manage water levels, and whether new, small defences could stop the higher flows spilling out of the Foss into homes and businesses.
The EA has prepared an update for City of York councillors, on what has been done since the devastation last Christmas.
In a report going to a council committee next week, EA engineers say the Foss Barrier, which failed during the floods last year, has already been used four times since.
The report also shows that although flood defences were built to protect York from all but one-in-100-year floods, recent modelling shows those floods now happen once every 75 years.
Since the Government promised £45 million to boost the city’s defences after the December floods, Environment Agency engineers have been looking at the feasibility of different options.
Their work on the Ouse could include realigning the river channel, upstream storage of flood waters, raising and building new earth embankments, and raising and building new flood walls, between Fulford to Clifton Ings.
However, the papers show they still need to develop outline plans for further work on the Foss. An agency spokesman said that was because much of the Foss flooding was caused by the Foss Barrier failing and the barrier is already being upgraded and improved.
A further proposal involves plans being drawn up by a joint team, made up of engineers, planners and other key personnel from City of York Council, the Environment Agency and others.
The Environment Agency will share its plans at a public meeting in York on November 25.
Source: The Press
