Farmers and landowners across three river catchments in Yorkshire and the North West are harnessing the power of nature in a pilot scheme to better protect the major road network from flooding.
National Highways has awarded more than £420,000 to 13 Natural Flood Management projects in the first round of the project covering parts of the Little Don, River Etherow and River Irwell catchments.
Natural Flood Management (NFM) is an emerging approach to addressing flood risk. NFM measures slow or store water in the landscape by emulating or enhancing natural processes.
Examples include changing the way land is managed so soil can absorb more water, creating storage ponds, planting woodlands and hedgerows, as well as constructing “leaky dams” which are natural barriers that regulate the flow of surface water run off.
The fund is being delivered in partnership with the Don Catchment Rivers Trust and the Mersey Rivers Trust. Routes on the strategic road network due to benefit from the pilot measures include the M60, M62, M66, A58, A616, A628 and the B6194.
