£6m project to repair river banks

In a week that has seen more flooding in South Lincolnshire, details of a £6m Environment Agency scheme to repair riverbanks has been revealed.

The River Welland has breached its bank for the second time in a few weeks after heavy rain arrived in the area again on Friday.
But a scheme to refurbish the banks of the Welland under the banner of Crowland and Cowbit Washes, is due to start in the next two years.
The Agency is lead partner for the project which has a £6,708,371 budget and will not be completed until March 2029.
The work will see better protection for a total of 663 homes in the area which is the focus of a study to understand how it benefits from the Washes, a flood area.
“The Washes have not been utilised in recent years and the Welland system has been significantly altered since their construction,” says a report by the agency.
The study will give a better understanding of any potential improvements to reduce flood risks.
“We also need to understand the implications of failure to store water in the Washes to define the benefit area,” says the report.
Storms Babet and Hank caused flooding across the county last month.
“As a result of Storm Babet, we saw at least a month’s rain in 24 hours,” says a report to Lincolnshire County Council’s Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee.
“We are now focussing our efforts on the recovery phase, our priority being to undertake actions to review damage,” the report says.
“We are in the process of determining the direction of the project and are exploring options with stakeholders,” said a statement from the agency.
“The estimated costs (£6.7m) are estimated project costs including construction. The actual costs will be determined in more detail once a preferred option is
determined.”