The Natural Flood Management (NFM) interventions in the Acland Catchment have been log dams and uniquely designed hedgerows. These strategies work with environmental and natural processes, through an ecosystem based approach, to increase flood resilience of communities downstream.
Hedgerows act as a physical land barrier to runoff accumulation, featuring small baffles and overflow pipes. Log dams however act as physical instream barriers to high river flows, causing flood waters to leave the channel and breach on to the floodplain. When these events occur waters are slowed down and therefore have the opportunity to infiltrate into the floodplain. Both interventions also improve water quality; as runoff is slowed and sediment in the water column is able to be deposited.
The project was funded by the Environment Agency, Natural England and Devon County Council”