A natural engineering approach to water management

Paul Quinn and many others…

School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship at ARUP

http://research.ncl.ac.uk/proactive/

The problem

• More flooding

• More pollution

• More drought

• Less biodiversity

• Carbon loss

livestockgrass

arable

arable

(winter crop)

grass

(silage)

Tarland: 183218672011

Farmed soil: increased runoff and unchecked runoff

Lower infiltration + lower soil water storage= lower infiltration capacity

Belford, Northumberland

6

The 5% Future

http://research.ncl.ac.uk/proactive/5future/

Eroding landscapes and gravels

Netherton Flood schemeThree-tier RAF sediment trap

• Water storage capacity ≈ 280 m3

• 70 ha contributing area

During a flood

0

2

15

min

ra

in (

mm

)

0.0

5.0

10.0

Flu

me

stag

e (c

m)

0

0.2

0.4

TP c

on

c. (

mg

l-1)

TP in TP out

0

100

200

300

SS c

on

c. (

mg

l-1)

SS in SS out

0

2

4

6

8

NO

3co

nc.

(m

g l-1

)

NO3 in NO3 out

Retention (% concentration)

• SS: 25 – 67 (49% net retention)

• TP: 16 – 44 (33% net retention)

• NO3: 5 – 85 (18% net retention)

~ £2000 of work

Performance – Three-tier sediment trap

DykeheadNational Trust

11

Saplings, Sponges, Sandbags and Sympathy

‘Sandbags and Sympathy are Not Enough’ Belford 2008

Trees are not enough

‘Make the land work more effectively as a sponge by

restoring water retaining habitats over large areas.’Wildlife Trust Sponges are not enough

NFM might be enough for Belford but it is not enough for big catchments

Lustrum Beck (proposed) – 60,000 m3 in 1 km2

We need toscale up!

Blue-Green Citiesatchment area (1.8km2)

Leazes Moor

Leazes Moor Proposal

What Next?

• What do we need to do

- Storm Desmond?

• New research – Catchment Pilots?

• Engineering a new landscape for the future?

• Farm payments – a new deal for farmers?

BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35298707

BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35246752