Stockdalewath

Ref: CSFF020009

Group members: 14

Length of agreement: 3

Area of group (Hectares): 1859

This facilitated group is focusing on Natural Flood Management and how this might reduce the amount and rate of surface water run-off in the Roe and Ive catchments near Stockdalewath. This is relevant to the Stewardship priority statement for the Eden Valley of priority habitats to significantly improve flood risk management. The group will look at how priority habitats such as ancient and native woodland, riparian corridors and arable field margins can be linked together at a landscape scale to provide resilience and better infiltration of rain water to reduce downstream flood risk and improve water quality.

Following the December 2015 flooding by Storm Desmond, a strategic review of the Eden catchment was undertaken by the Cumbria Floods Partnership which included examining options for slowing key rivers to reduce the intensity of water flows at peak times. The Roe and Ive catchments near Stockdalewath have been identified by the catchment management group as one of the highest priority areas for Natural Flood Management in Cumbria with Stockdalewath having been flooded in 2005, 2013 and again during Storm Desmond.

The group will look at the potential to pilot NFM options where appropriate and the knowledge transfer events will also help further the understanding of other farmers in the area about the hydrology of the catchment, the
different techniques of NFM and how they might help with flood and water management in their area and importantly deliver multiple benefits for water quality and increasing business resilience on farms.