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  • Agenda item
  • Agenda item

    Environment Agency and Met Office Alerts and Warnings and KCC Flood response activity since the last meeting

    Minutes:

    (1)       Mr Harwood said that since publication of the report, the number of yellow Met Office severe weather alerts since the previous meeting had increased from 6 to 8 (7 for heavy rain and 1 for high winds).   In most cases, the heavy rain forecast had not materialised in Kent. 

     

    (2)       Mr Harwood continued by saying that since the winter months, it had been exceptionally dry. This was reflected in the relatively small number of flood alerts issued by the Environment Agency.  There had been 32 between March and July in 2016 but only 5 for the corresponding period in 2017.   This had consisted of one coastal flood alert arising from a spring tide and four in areas which were known as “rapid response catchments” where surface water could be an issue (Pent Stream, Folkestone and Rivers Shuttle and Cray on the Dartford border with LB Bexley).

     

    (3)       Mr Harwood then said that the lengthy dry period had led to the Kent Resilience Forum updating their Drought Plan which was currently out for consultation with stakeholders, including KCC. 

     

    (4)       Mr Bowles commented that heavy rainfall was now becoming a far more localised event than had ever previously been the case.

     

    (5)       Mr Gregory asked whether “Yellow Alerts” were being reviewed for their accuracy.   Mr Harwood replied by saying that weather forecasting was not an exact science.  A Yellow Alert would always be issues when heavy rainfall was forecast to fall in or near to Kent.  Yellow Alerts were also issued in response to highly localised events.  The North Downs often constituted a barrier for weather pattern with rain falling on one side whilst the other side remained dry.  Nevertheless, it was very important not to issue warnings on too many occasions for events that did not materialise.   There was a particular risk in respect of flood alerts that people would not react when they received a warning of a serious event.  This risk was being mitigated as far as was possible in the circumstances described by regular discussions with the met Office and Environment Agency.

     

    (6)       Mr Payne said that Southern Water were saying that Kent was at a stage of imminent drought but that there would not be a drought unless another dry winter occurred.  He was concerned that the water companies had not put any customer restrictions in place.  If concern were to be voiced now by the water companies about an imminent drought, people would be better prepared in the event that a drought did occur the following year.  

     

    (7)       Mr Tant informed the Committee that because of the groundwater conditions in Kent, it would require two consecutive dry winters before it experienced a drought.   It was therefore likely that any work on preparation for a drought would not commence until the middle of winter, when the winter rainfall effect on water resources would be understood.  

     

    (8)       Mrs Brown said that long periods of dry weather tended to bring about a sense of public complacency in relation to flood risk.   She suggested that KCC could produce a public document in response to the dry weather and drought whilst reminding everyone not to forget the danger of flooding.   She also drew attention to people’s reactions to receiving a flood warning very early in the morning only for nothing significant to materialise.   This would result in people losing interest, even though the Parish Councils would attempt to maintain preparedness. 

     

    (9)       The Chairman commented that as development increased, there would be a growing risk of both drought and flooding.   Water management was therefore taking on ever increasing importance both for waste and fresh water.  He agreed to raise Mrs Brown’s suggestion for a publicity document with the Environment Agency. 

     

    (10)     Mrs Doyle gave an example of the oscillation between drought and flooding by explaining that when she had first been elected to serve on Canterbury CC she had been told that the River Nailbourne would never flow again because it was so dry. A few years later it had flooded severely. 

     

    (11)     Mrs Doyle then asked whether the creation of reservoirs for water storage was a matter which the Environment Agency could instruct the water companies to undertake.  

     

    (12)     Mr Tant replied that the Water Companies would need to identify the need for a reservoir in their Water Resources Plan, which was updated every five years and looked at the resources that would be needed in the next 25 years.

     

    (13)     Mr Tant said that water was now used far more efficiently than had been the case thirty years earlier.  This was evidenced by the fact that less water was now used in Kent even though its population had increased considerably.  

     

    (14)     Mr Harwood described the water cycle in Kent as “intimately linked.” He said that the rivers relied on groundwater for their headwaters and flow. Whenever the chalk aquifers were denuded of water resource the river flows became much lower so that water could not be extracted to fill the reservoirs.  At Bewl Reservoir the question was how to get the river flows high enough to enable water extraction without causing an environmental impact on the dilution of sewage and dissolved oxygen levels in local rivers needed to maintain aquatic wildlife.  

     

    (15)     Mr Harwood then said that it could not be known whether there would be a drought in 2018 until the level of winter rainfall had been calculated.  Summer rain would not be effective in this regard due to evapotranspiration by vegetation.  It was essential for steady winter rain to fall in order to replenish the groundwater. Meanwhile, the message that should be given to the public was that water should be used responsibly and conserved.

     

    (16)     RESOLVED that the current water resources situation be noted together with the level of alerts and warnings received since the last meeting of the Committee and with the contributions made by Members during the meeting.  

    Supporting documents: