How Guilsfield £500,000 ‘experiment’ is key to battling Severn floods

A £500,000 'experiment' to use nature-based water management solutions across the Guilsfield Brook catchment to reduce the flood risk to homes and businesses appears to be working, according to the project managers.

The Severn Rivers Trust said work at Guilsfield Brook started in spring 2022 as a Severn Valley Water Management Scheme (SVWMS) demonstrator project, managed by Shropshire Council under the River Severn Partnership.

The project is using natural flood management to reduce flood risk to a number of homes as well as the B4392 and A490 roads. It will also provide information on the economic benefits of soil and water management on rural land.

Working with landowners, The Severn Rivers Trust said it has provided helpful learning and information on the potential value of future environmental management within farm businesses.

They believe the results and learnings from the project will be vital to developing the wider SVWMS which will incorporate catchment-based approaches to reduce flood risk for up to 3,000 properties and 1,000 businesses across the upper and middle Severn.

The SVWMS, is a partnership between the EA, Natural Resources Wales, Powys County Council and Shropshire Council with the intention to tackle flooding, support thriving communities and create resilient environments through sustainable and holistic water management.

Here’s what’s being said:

Matt Marston, programme manager for the Severn Rivers Trust

“Our work along the Guilsfield Brook catchment has involved installing a suite of interventions on farmland in the catchment to support flood risk reduction by increasing the time it takes for rainwater to reach our river network.

“Our monitoring shows that these solutions, such as our ‘cut and drop’ leaky dams, where we have used natural woody material to create dams that silt up naturally, to slow the watercourse and create a more controlled release, are already working.

“We are also working with farmers on soil management. Measures such as sward lifting, which allows more oxygen into grass roots, which helps absorb rainfall and reduce waterlogging of fields. This can also have benefit for farm businesses as it can increase grass growth and reduce irrigation and fertiliser costs.”

Mark Barrow, co-chair of the River Severn Partnership, welcomed the findings

“It’s important that the project demonstrates what we mean by nature-based solutions, how these measures are delivered and the benefits and impacts that they may have for people, the environment and landowners. We’ve made a good start in the Guilsfield Brook and have started gathering this information to report back at the end of the project with a view to up scaling if future funding can be secured.

Councillor Jackie Charlton, Powys County Council Cabinet member for a Greener Powys

“The work being carried out at the Guilsfield Brook will accelerate testing and learning around nature-based responses to climate resilience and adaptation. The information and observations from the project will be valuable when applied to the development of the River Severn Water Management Scheme.”