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Floods on the increase What are we doing? Further reading With events like the summer floods of 2007 and 2008 becoming a more regular occurrence, flood risk management has never been so important. Major floods that previously only happened every 100 years may now start to happen every 10 or 20 years. The flood season may become longer, with flooding in places where there has never been any before. The good news is that the North Pennines AONB Partnership, working with conservation partners and landowners, is undertaking a long-term project to block the drainage grips that pattern the North Pennines landscape. Other Peatscapes project leaflets available from the North Pennines AONB Partnership include: More than 200 km (125 miles) of moorland drains in Northumberland, Cumbria and County Durham, have been blocked in 2008 by building peat dams in drainage ditches at regular intervals to stop the flow of water. Once blocked, the ditches fill with water and begin to revegetate. ¥ From peat to global warming — what is peat and why is it so important? Mechanical grip blocking One way to protect against flooding at the local level is to block the grips that drain water off the moors. Water will be stored up until the point that the blocked grips are full and the surrounding land saturated. Only then, when the land has reached full capacity, will the rainwater drain away into the river catchment. Manually blocking grips in the North Pennines For more information about the Peatscapes project, visit www.northpennines.org.uk and go to Special Projects This leaflet has been produced as part of the North Pennines AONB Partnership s Peatscapes project with the support of: The North Pennines AONB Partnership holds a Gold GTBS Award for its corporate office and tourism activities. All uncredited photographs ' North Pennines AONB Partnership The Northumbria Regional Flood Defence Committee has provided the majority of Peatscapes core funding as part of its work towards flood reduction, upland management improvements and combating climate change. To find out more, contact: North Pennines AONB Partnership Staff Unit, Weardale Business Centre, The Old Co-op Building, 1 Martin Street, Stanhope, County Durham DL13 2UY Tel. 01388 528801 Email: [email protected] www.northpennines.org.uk Grip blocking is one method, in conjunction with other approaches, that can be used to achieve an overall reduction in flood risk in areas further downstream. After grip blocking: notice the bright green ‘strip’ of new vegetation growing in the blocked grip ¥ Living history — how peat is revealing the past ' P Evans @ www.flickr.com/photos/fredspoonphotos A typical grip: a drain cut through the peat At two sites, monitoring equipment is collecting data on how restoration work affects flooding, water colour and carbon storage. ¥ Land management and water colour in the North Pennines We can provide a summary of the information contained in this publication in large print, different formats and other languages on request. Please call 01388 528801 for details. Some grips are re-profiled using special machinery This leaflet is printed on 150gsm Greencoat Plus Velvet (80% recycled post-consumer fibre, 10% Totally Chlorine Free virgin fibre, 10% Elemental Chlorine Free). After you have finished with this leaflet please give it to someone else to read, or recycle it. 09/08/5000 Flood risk management covers a variety of activities to prevent rivers and streams overflowing. These range from the flood defences you might see around your local rivers and streams, to less visible land management strategies that keep rainfall locked up in the landscape and out of the river system. Peatlands and fl oodi ng Climate change and flooding The UK needs to take action now to cope with the challenges that climate change could bring in the future. Scientists believe that climate change is already having an impact on life in the UK. Floods, droughts and turbulent weather are causing problems that we need to tackle now. Increased rainfall means many communities are at a greater risk of flooding than ever before. Government scientists expect flooding to occur with greater frequency and intensity as the About grips effects of climate change are felt across the country, with householders facing more flood damage, more disruption to travel, and higher insurance costs. There is no single answer to these problems. We need to do everything we can to tackle our changing weather patterns, making a collective effort to curb climate change. One thing we can use to help reduce flooding and the effects of climate change is under our feet, here in the North Pennines p e a t ! Research funded by the AONB Partnership shows that there are 9,400 km of grips in the North Pennines, of which 6,500 km are still active, draining water from the blanket bog. The AONB Partnership s Peatscapes project is working with Natural England, the Environment Agency, Northumbrian Water and others to coordinate grip blocking efforts, creating healthy peatlands that contribute to flood risk management. ' Rob Riddle Peat is a highly absorbent organic material that forms in cold, waterlogged, acidic conditions. This type of environment favours the growth of mosses, especially certain sphagnum species, which are important in peat accumulation. As plants die, they gradually decompose and the organic matter accumulates as peat. Peat forms very slowly, at a rate of about one millimetre a year. Peat — curbing climate change, fighting floods Protect our peat! Peat can help tackle the flooding threat in two ways: 1 Soaking up rainfall Unfortunately, the peat of the North Pennines is riddled with grips, large drainage channels slicing through the landscape. These are a result of outdated land management policy and they contribute to the problem of Grips are man-made drains that cut flooding. Importantly for moderating flood risk, peat acts like a giant sponge absorbing rainfall, slowing its flow into into lower-lying ground. Sustainable management of our landscape holds the key to long-term flood reduction. By increasing the land s capacity to hold excess water, the risk of flooding could be reduced and we could save the misery and mess faced by flooded householders. 2 Storing carbon Peat is an important carbon store. By keeping our peat wet, we prevent it from releasing this carbon into the atmosphere. Over five billion tonnes of carbon are stored in UK peatlands. That is equivalent to nearly a year s worth of global greenhouse gas emissions — and is well worth keeping locked up! You can read more in another of our leaflets: From peat to global warming. An aerial photograph showing grips in the North Pennines. The regular straight lines are all grips Because peatlands provide many benefits, we want to make sure they stay wet and intact, soaking up rainfall and storing carbon. ' Countyside Agency/Charlie Hedley What is peat? Grips cause water to flow more freely off the moors and into our watercourses, making flooding more likely. By blocking these grips, we slow the progress of rainwater into streams and lowland rivers, potentially reducing the flooding threat to towns and villages downstream. across the peat, channelling water into the catchment areas further downstream. By blocking grips (below) water run-off is slowed down ' Environment Agency