Agenda item

(1)          Mr Harwood said that the month of June 2019 had seen dramatic rainfall leading to surface and groundwater flooding in parts of North West Kent.  Eynsford had received 112.3 mm of rain and Ham Hill 111.5 mm within a single 24-hour period.   This contrasted with the long-term average rainfall during June of 53 mm for the entire month.  Some 170 residential and commercial premises had been affected.  The water had flowed through and damaged these properties so quickly that it had often disappeared by the time emergency responders had arrived. 

(2)          Mr Harwood then said that sudden, high intensity events such as these were exactly what experts on climate change impacts had been predicting, with a warmer atmosphere leading to more water vapour in the air and an increasing likelihood of storms.  This meant that every part of the county was potentially at risk because, no matter where the rain fell, there would always be  built and topographical features which exacerbated flood risk to associated vulnerable properties. 

(3)       Mr Harwood said that the Severe Weather Advisory Group teleconference that had taken place in response to the June surface water flooding event had initially been chaired by the Environment Agency because the response was to surface and groundwater flooding.  KCC had taken the chair for the subsequent recovery phase. 

(4)       The worst affected premises had been St Katherine’s School and Nursery in Snodland, where the damage had been so significant that the children had needed to be educated at the local secondary school. It was hoped that they would be able to return to their own school when the new term began in September. 

(5)       Mr Harwood concluded his introduction by saying that elevated tides with high risk of coastal flooding had been forecast between 28 September and 3 October and between 26 and 31 October, the key risks would arise if storms or high winds accompanied these elevated high tides.  

(6)       Mr Chittenden noted that groundwater levels and reservoirs were, for the most part within normal ranges even though many new houses were being built in Kent.  He asked whether there were any projections for water capacity during the next 5 to 10 years.  

(7)       Mr Tant replied to Mr Chittenden by saying that he was not aware of any significant constraint within this time period. Water companies had a duty to provide water and had to produce a new 25 year plan every 5 years.  The latest version had been submitted earlier in the year and was due to commence in April 2020. This was under review by Ofwat, whose work included assessment for extreme scenarios, including those potentially caused by climate change. 

(8)       Mr Tant added that KCC promoted water-efficient development.  An example of this was the promotion of “grey water” rather than drinking quality water for appropriate functions such as gardening and toilet flushing.       

(9)       Mr Harwood said that since the repeal of the Code for Sustainable Homes in 2010, local water conservation policies needed to be delivered through the Local Planning process, where an evidential underpinning was needed to demonstrate the reasons that, for example, building regulations were not sufficient in the local area.  He added that another example was that in areas of significant new housing development, Local Plans should make provision for natural water retention by ensuring that there were sufficient semi-natural ponds to hold surface water and facilitate natural flood water attenuation.

(10)     RESOLVED that the current water resources situation and warnings received since the last meeting of the Committee be noted.