Alconbury Brook Flood Group report for December 2021

During December, volunteers have cleared further sections of bank not done by EA contractors (see left) and discovered long forgotten benching (low shelf cut into bank). They have also done further clearance upstream of the heritage bridge to the old ford.

The EA have not yet returned to do work they had promised to do by Christmas but have re-visited the site to draw up a detailed specification and have now said that it will be done in January. This is all of the sections not done by the contractors including downstream to Labcorp (Covance) on the north bank, Brooklands Farm, improvements downstream of Alconbury Weston and near the ford in Alconbury Weston.

The FG have been told that their bid for funds from CCC has been successful. This will allow the purchase of safety equipment, additional tools, a small flat-bottomed boat and other items.

The EA have commissioned another off-line storage pond this time at Winnick. (not sure of the details but I believe it stores water from a significant ditch just north of Hamerton before it flows into Alconbury Brook.

Rusts Lane pumps have now been repaired.

The FG have now opened a bank account.

The FG has been working with the Land Enterprise Network (LENs) who channel money from large companies into environmental projects. We have made site visits to them to sites where landowners have agreed in principle for significant NFM including 2 off-line storage areas = 25,000 cubic meters, a refurbished pond and 5 leaky dams. Optimistic that LENs will pay for this work to be done @£50,000 starting April 2022

Community is finding info@alconburybrookfloodgroup.uk resulting in enquiries and offers of help.

In the last 3 months we have had 7 enquiries from people wishing to move to the villages and wanting information.

EA consultants (Jacobs) have now started work on modelling and evaluation of a major flood mitigation scheme after delays from heritage section of EA and then further negotiation with Jacobs about timescales. Still on track for public consultation summer 2022. Currently long list includes elements of previous plans plus FG reservoir proposals (Slow stretch and Store) and proposal for a 2-stage channel. Photograph above is an example of a 2-stage channel.

FG has started to do soil sampling since soil capacity is as important a factor as rainfall in predicting flooding. Soil is now fairly full but earlier this month it could have absorbed most of the rain that caused flooding in December 2020.

Second newsletter will be distributed before the next Parish Council Meeting

January 8th is our next volunteer day, also volunteers are tree planting on (probably) January 15th. Equipment purchased with the CCC grant will allow us to do work in Alconbury Weston on January 8th.