Section 3 below sets out the Board’s plans for reducing or managing the flood risk in the Board’s district.

Objective (a)

To encourage the provision of adequate and cost effective flood warning systems.

The Board will assist the Environment Agency (Anglian Region) wherever possible in its provision of adequate and cost effective flood warning systems, integrating with the Agency in response to flood emergencies and participating as necessary in exercises to develop and test emergency response procedures.

Objective (b)

To encourage the provision of adequate, economically, technically and environmentally sound and sustainable flood defences.

In meeting its obligations the Board will consider its activities within the wider natural and developed environment seeking to ensure the avoidance of any adverse impact. It will equally co-operate with other drainage authorities and organisations to ensure adverse impacts on the drainage district do not arise as a result of other activities.

The Board will carry out its maintenance and improvement works in an efficient and cost effective way and where appropriate use best practice and techniques wherever possible.

To achieve this the Board will encourage the provision of adequate, economically, technically and environmentally sound and sustainable flood protection and water level management measures and seek to control that development which could increase the risk of flooding.

Within the drainage district a significant part of the area is at some risk of flooding and the Board will seek to retain this risk at acceptable levels through appropriate improvements and a sound maintenance strategy. The Board will also seek to ensure that the Environment Agency maintains at a satisfactory standard any flood defences which also afford protection to the district.

Objective (c)

To discourage inappropriate development in areas at risk from flooding.

The potential impact on flood risk through future development in the drainage district, or in the wider catchment drainage to the district, is fully recognised by the Board and it will take an active role in the assessment of structure plans, local plans and individual planning applications to ensure flood risk is not increased. Where appropriate the Board will secure from developers, and other direct beneficiaries, contributions to cover the cost of both immediate and longer term works necessary to ensure that any potential increase in flood risk is removed.

Catchment area draining to and within the district	86,550 ha
Total area of the district	50,600 ha
Area of agricultural land	41,871 ha
Other land including property, highways, etc.	8,729 ha
Sites of designated environmental interest
Local nature reserves	44 no
SSSI	11 no
SPA	1 no
SAC	1 no
RAMSAR	1

Pumping stations	30 no
Other water level control structures	10 no
Watercourses	973,955 metres
Strategic ordinary Watercourses	66,631 metres
Passing through, within or adjacent to the district are the following assets maintained by the Environment Agency:-
Main rivers	177,691 metres
River flood defences	172,279 metres
Sea and tidal defences	28,450 metres

The Board will exercise as required its powers under the Land Drainage Act 1991 and its Byelaws to ensure that activities in and alongside the drainage system do not reduce flood protection standards and unnecessarily increase flood risk.

Through the operation and maintenance of the pumping stations and the drainage system the Board seeks to maintain a general standard capable of providing flood protection to agricultural land and developed areas of 1 in 10 and 1 in 50 years respectively. This likely return period can not be taken literally and should be considered as a chance of some overspilling from the system taking place each year as being 10% and 2% respectively.

The Board monitors the condition of its pumping stations and watercourses, particularly those designated as Strategic Ordinary Watercourses, overspilling from which could affect property. Consistent with the established need a routine maintenance programme is in place to ensure that the condition of the assets is commensurate with the standards of protection which are sought. Where standards are not at the policy level, improvement works will be considered and undertaken as resources allow.

The Board will seek to promote the need for works in its district and create a rational understanding among people who live and work in it as to what the flood risk is and the efforts made to control it. The Board will also seek to achieve directly and through local councils a culture within which the drainage systems are seen as vital to controlling flood risk, whilst providing an interesting aquatic habit and to dissuade abuse of them through the dumping of waste or the obstructing of flows in other ways.

The Board will publish and place on deposit at its offices, notices of its proposed annual programme of capital and maintenance works as follows:-

January / February	Capital works.
	Programme of works for the following spring, summer and autumn vegetation control.
July / August	Programme of works for the following winter and spring watercourse reforming and silt removal.

Much of the Board’s watercourse maintenance work of vegetation control and de-silting is a vital and routine requirement. Whilst inevitably some short term impact will arise, this management also maintains the diverse aquatic habitat in the district. The Board maintains a significant proportion of the total watercourse length in the district, the remainder being the responsibility of the Environment Agency and riparian landowners.

When carrying out works, be it maintenance or improvement, and consistent with the need to maintain satisfactory flood protection standards, the Board will aim to:-

• avoid any unnecessary or long term damage to the natural habitat
• take appropriate opportunities to enhance habitats
• monitor the effect of any changes made

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