There are reasons to be concerned about flooding in the Sid Valley.
For much of last month, there were regular flood alerts for Devon as heavy rain continued to batter the region. And only last week, the Seaton Wetlands were flooded following a weekend storm.
It is fortunate that the Sid Valley has not been affected – but during the battering by Storm Bert in November, much of East Devon was hit.
And it was back in November when Peter Brookes, former River Warden and current member of the River Sid Catchment Group, wrote to the Herald, where he considered a lesson for Sidmouth after disastrous floods:
A lesson for Sidmouth after disastrous floods
7th November 2024
It is sadly a timely reminder of the devastating impact flood water can have on a town, in this case small town in Valentia, Spain.
The River Sid, although one of the UK’s smallest rivers, can still pack a punch with flood flows up to 100 times greater than dry weather flow.
The River Sid Catchment Group has just published a plan for the Sid catchment, which has addressed not just flooding, but also fish passage, land management and river water quality. The report entitled River Sid Catchment Plan can be read online at ourriversid@gmail.com or copies are available in Sidmouth Library and Sidmouth Town Council Offices.
The worst floods in the South West over recent years occurred at Boscastle almost 20 years ago, when some 75 mm of rain fell in the narrow, steep-sided valleys above Boscastle in a couple of hours. Fortunately, at that time there was no loss of life, but the lower town was devastated.
We can’t immediately alter climate change, but we can take steps to help mitigate flooding in the Sid Valley.
The report suggests a need for upstream Natural Flood Management (NFM) whereby areas of low-lying agricultural land can be managed to help hold back flood water. Along with ways to improve the ecological health of the catchment and restore access for salmon and trout, which in turn encourage birds and wildlife.
Peter Brookes
River Sid Catchment Group
Peter was joint founder of a group set up in early 2020 under the auspices of the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group, focussing on exploring the options for a Fish Pass at School Weir, a little up river from the Toll House at the entrance to the Byes.
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