Adur Adaptation Project

We’re delighted to announce the launch of the Adur Adaptation Project, a ten-year innovative initiative aimed at enhancing flood resilience and biodiversity within the River Adur Catchment. This project is a collaborative effort between OART and the Environment Agency, building on three years of extensive data analysis alongside work with landowners, farmers, and local communities to identify and address flooding and ‘wet-spots’ across the catchment area.

Project Goals and Approach

The Adur Adaptation Project seeks to mitigate flood risks to vulnerable properties through Natural Flood Management (NFM) techniques, which leverage natural processes to slow and store water more effectively. These techniques not only reduce the impact of flooding but also bring numerous environmental benefits, including improved biodiversity, better water quality, reduced pollution, increased carbon capture, and enhanced floodplain connectivity.

Natural Flood Management (NFM)

The project features a diverse range of NFM techniques, including:

• Leaky woody dams designed to slow water flow and create in-channel habitats, contributing to natural flood control and ecological diversity.
• Creation of wetlands, ponds, and scrapes to enhance floodplain water storage, providing resilience against both flood and drought conditions.
• River restoration and realignment to restore natural hydrology improving overall river health and functionality.
• Planting of floodplain woodland and hedgerows which increases landscape permeability, slow water flows, and restore natural features, contributing to the overall stability and health of the ecosystem.
• Soil structure improvement to further increase landscape permeability and water retention.

Community Engagement and Monitoring

A large part of adapting river catchments to improve future resilience is reliant on community involvement throughout the development, design and delivery of schemes and the project is seeking to work alongside a wide range of stakeholders and partners to ensure the techniques used are based on community knowledge. Parish Councils, Local Action Groups, Landowners and community members are all being invited to get involved in the project, whether through imparting knowledge, altering land use or management, or volunteering to help deliver interventions.

The first phase of the project will see the launch of a long-term monitoring programme to assess current river flows and how these respond to rainfall events. This will enable to the project team to focus efforts where they are most needed but also assess the level impact the project is having.