Innovative mapping project to boost flood resilience in Habberley/Pontesford

The latest in drone and laser technology is being harnessed by geographers to map the landscape of the Rea Brook in the Habberley / Pontesford catchment on behalf of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme (SVWMS).

University of Chester is working with the Severn Partnership and Wolf Logic to undertake geospatial analysis of the area which, linked to wireless sensors, will provide valuable insights into the hydrology of the area to help inform future water management solutions and provide real-time information to local stakeholders.

The results and learnings from the project, one of eight in the SVWMS Demonstrator Programme, 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.

Dr Andrew Miles, a senior lecturer in physical geography and GIS, at University of Chester, said:

“The data we collect will enhance and support local knowledge and understanding of the area and will allow us to develop precise modelling at a very local level.

“We will move towards creating a ‘digital twin’ of the catchment and then we can use this to inform decisions on water management including monitoring existing nature-based and natural flood management systems and how smaller, local interventions can be used to their best advantage as part of a more holistic approach.”

Severn Partnership, a firm of expert geo-spatial land surveyors based in Telford, will begin the surveying in early springtime and will continue to gather data to provide a before, during and after comparison of water management strategies.

Local software developers Wolf Logic have already begun work on a web based platform which will be used to communicate insights and data to local people.

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.

The Demonstrator Programme, managed by Shropshire Council, is being delivered across the Upper Severn catchment and provide an opportunity to both showcase nature-based solutions in action, as well as test new concepts and research ideas that will support the longer-term approach to water management at a catchment scale.

It is anticipated that the programme will deliver 108 hectares of improved habitat and 11.5 kilometres of improved river habitat before it concludes in 2027.