MAIN FEATURE
SuDS image courtesy ACO Stormwater Management
As can be seen from these points, much of its work is devoted to flood protection. Which indicates that there is a problem with excess water, and an ongoing one. And for ease of writing, we’re not even covering Wales or Scotland here but most of the principles still apply.
Here’s what the Environment Agency says about its work on flood defences:
“The work we do to help keep those channels and culverts clear alongside our work to maintain flood defences is a vital part of our maintenance programme and plays an important part in reducing flood risk, particularly in urban areas where the consequences of a culvert or bridge blockage are highest.
“Conveyance works, as they are known, are the routine maintenance of channels and culverts to make sure that the water flows freely to reduce flood risk. This
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includes clearing overgrown vegetation, dredging, controlling aquatic weed and removing obstructions such as fallen trees and shopping trolleys. We are not responsible for clearing general debris from rivers; however, we can act where it could pose a flood risk. Over the past five years, we have spent between £35million and £55million per year on channel maintenance to help rivers flow freely.
Screens and culverts
“Culverts are underground structures that water can flow through. Screens help protect culverts from being blocked with debris which could lead to serious flooding, and help prevent public access to the culvert to keep people safe. Keeping the screens which protect culverts clear is an important part of our channel maintenance work. The Environment Agency protects
| March 2025 |
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approximately 2,000 culverts, with a total length of just over 200km and it maintains around 2,800 screens.
“We carry out routine maintenance of screens to remove debris and vegetation to allow the water to flow freely through the screen. When heavy rain is forecast we check our screens and monitor them throughout a flooding event to make sure they are clear. We’re using the latest technology to carry out our work to make sure it is done as safely and cost- efficiently as possible and to reduce our carbon footprint. This includes using CCTV and telemetry or other sensors on the watercourse, which help us understand where to efficiently direct our efforts so we only go to screens where we’re needed.
“For example, during a flood event in Derbyshire following Storm Eunice our Operations Team was stretched
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