Protecting Residents and Businesses – Phase 2a Mill Brook

A wet and warm October, coupled with a Met Office Yellow Weather Warning at the end of the month, left ground levels saturated.

Dealing with these issues locally is of paramount importance in mitigating the risk of further flooding to homes and livelihoods in the centre of our village.

Phase 2a of the Mill Brook Flood Defence Management Scheme is thankfully complete, thereby reducing the potential of flood risk to residents and businesses located in Old Mill Place and the adjacent area.

This entire area, of course, lies in the flood risk zone and the mitigation measures are intended to reduce the possibility of future flood events in the centre of the village.

In September, Tattenhall residents were invited to attend a tour/information session of the completed flood mitigation measures to see, first hand, what can be achieved using natural flood management techniques. Approximately 20 residents attended the event.

Dr Nicki Hall from ELM Associates, together with TWiG, provided a detailed understanding of the measures which have been introduced to slow the flow of the Mill Brook in China Meadow, namely the introduction of 3 curved bunds and associated drainage, the seepage barrier which can be adjusted according to flow, and water retention ponds.

Phase 2A has the capacity to slow the flow of some 4,500 cubic metres of water upstream of the village. This is in addition to the 1,000 cubic metres which is slowed in Phase 1 (completed 2016).

With climate change on our minds, the opportunity cost of introducing these flood mitigation measures to help protect residents and businesses in the heart of our village may well be the odd short-term muddy footpath upstream during wet weather. Many footpaths are muddy at this time of year. The alternative, however, might be flood damage to some Tattenhall properties yet again; something we would wish on no-one following the devastating January 2021 flood event.

That said, our final image shows the footpath adjacent to the fence at China Meadow was completely dry in just a couple of days.

Click on images to enlarge and which show the sheer volume of water which has been held back and slowed during the recent heavy rain; water which ordinarily would have moved very quickly toward the heart of the village.