Community Catchments; Empowering people, Enhancing Resilience
The Ribble Rivers Trust has launched a new project aimed at tackling flooding in three Lancashire towns through community-led natural flood management. The “Community Catchments” initiative will work closely with residents, businesses, and landowners in Wrea Green, Darwen, and Clitheroe, empowering them to protect their homes and livelihoods while enhancing the natural environment.
Building on years of successful river restoration and natural flood management efforts, the Trust’s latest project represents a fresh approach to flood resilience. By putting the needs of local communities at the heart of the solution, this initiative offers a innovative and natural alternative to traditional, large-scale flood defences.
What Will the Community Catchments Project Do?
The project will focus on three key area; Wrea Green, Darwen, and Clitheroe, each has its own unique challenges and opportunities. Like many Lancashire communities, these towns have long histories of flooding, yet due to a variety of factors, traditional flood defences are not viable. The Ribble Rivers Trust will work alongside these communities to identify and implement natural flood management strategies tailored to local conditions. Community groups will play a pivotal role, collaborating with the Trust to design and deliver bespoke solutions.
The scope of the project is extensive, encompassing the creation of new wetlands, woodlands, leaky dams, and in-river habitats, as well as peat restoration. These efforts will not only slow water flow and reduce flood risk but also enhance biodiversity across the catchment. With help from the Trust’s extensive data and evidence base, intervention locations will strategic, so they will have the most significant impact.
Wrea Green: Tackling Run-off with Nature-Based Solutions
In Wrea Green, persistent heavy rains often overwhelm local watercourses and drainage systems, leading to frequent flooding. The Community Catchments project plans to address this by working closely with local landowners, residents, and flood groups to manage run-off more effectively.
A key component of this strategy is the creation of a new storage wetland capable of holding up to 5.3 million litres of water. By diverting surface water from residential areas into this wetland, the Trust aims to reduce peak river flows during heavy rains. The wetland will slowly release stored water back into the surrounding watercourses once levels have subsided, helping to protect the village from future flooding.
Wildlife will also benefit from this new habitat. Wetlands and ponds are increasingly rare but provide essential support for a diverse range of species. By linking the new wetland with existing ponds, the project will create larger, more connected habitats, offering a lifeline to species like the European eel.
Clitheroe: Restoring Natural River Dynamics
The Trust’s work in Clitheroe builds on its previous success in peat restoration and soil management within the Mearley Brook sub-catchment. This time, the focus will be on slowing water flow within the river channels themselves.
In collaboration with three major landowners, the Trust will install a series of leaky dams across key locations. These structures will be created using natural materials, such as tree stumps and windblown trees, laid across the channels. As well as reducing flood risk, these interventions will restore more natural river dynamics, creating diverse habitats for aquatic wildlife.
By increasing floodplain connectivity, the project will also help trap sediments and nutrients, improving water quality and further supporting local ecosystems.
Darwen: Innovating in Urban Flood Management
Darwen presents a unique challenge due to its urban landscape and the limitations on space for traditional flood defences. To overcome this, the Trust has developed an evidence-based catchment plan using cutting-edge GIS technology to identify the most effective natural flood management strategies.
The plan includes a range of interventions, from woodland management and peatland restoration to the installation of leaky dams and swales. These measures will be implemented across a variety of habitats, including moorlands, cloughs, and public spaces, providing multiple benefits for both people and wildlife.
Benefits for Wildlife
As with all Ribble Rivers Trust projects, Community Catchments is designed to deliver significant benefits for local wildlife. The initiative will enhance habitats that are crucial for species such as the European eel, Atlantic salmon, and brown trout. These species rely on healthy, dynamic river systems to thrive, yet face increasing threats from the impacts of climate change and human activity.
Furthermore, the heavy rains and flooding that Lancashire experiences currently threaten these species. Particularly during their juvenile stages, by rapidly raising river levels and washing away young fish. Sadly, climate change is set to exacerbate this issue.
By restoring natural processes and creating new habitats, the Trust’s work will help safeguard these species for future generations. Moreover, the project’s community-driven approach ensures that local people have a direct role in protecting the wildlife that makes their areas unique.
The Community Catchments project is more than just a flood management initiative; it is a partnership between the Ribble Rivers Trust and the Lancashire communities hit by flooding. Together, they will create a more resilient landscape that benefits both people and wildlife, showcasing the power of community-led conservation.
