crazy

[sidthelamp]

The policy change was announced Environment Minister Liz Truss at the Oxford Farming Conference after what the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said were two successful pilot schemes.
She said: "We will allow farmers across the country to maintain their own ditches up to 1.5km in length from April, so they can clear debris and manage the land."


of course the academics are moaning about the above saying it will move the problem down stream in some circumstances,

well then if clearing and dredging ditches/streams on private land removes flooding as the two pilot schemes have proved, it needs to be joined up thinking with the EA to do the same in the main rivers,

its a no brainer really, whats confused the matter over the last decade is the eu directives in so called protecting rivers , biased self interested groups meddling in affairs they know nothing about, causing misery for thousands of people, having a romanticized idilic view of britain's country side, completely ignoring centuries of pratical management,then the uk/eu spend millions in so called flood defences that dont work,spending millions again in propping up government agencies ,who waste millions ,to come to the eventual conclusion , that allowing land owners to drain there own land stops flooding, how many more millions will they spend before some one has the bright idea that they need to dredge the rivers so we have a joined up national policy of keeping rivers clear of obstruction/sediment.

[cheaver]

..................., how many more millions will they spend before some one has the bright idea that they need to dredge the rivers so we have a joined up national policy of keeping rivers clear of obstruction/sediment.

Exactly Sid. Apparently the penny hasn't dropped on anyone yet...... the risk to towns is recognised but not how to deal with it.......

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

[sidthelamp]

related to the floods in the uk, but not widely reported in the uk, i wonder why
https://www.rt.com/uk/328104-asda-bo...let-boyfriend/

[westlondoncarparts]

With regard to previous posts………

Of course you can dredge before the event. Preventative dredging means that waterways are cleared as far as possible before heavy rains and the risk of flooding in the dredged areas is reduced because the dredged waterways can carry larger volumes of water. You do not wait until there is flooding before you start dredging.

Dredging has not been outlawed by the EU Directive.

The EU Directive requires comprehensive management plans with joined up thinking and joined up actions covering the whole of a water system as illustrated in the following extracts. If there has been lack of co-ordination of actions within different parts of river basin systems here in the UK, that is failure within the UK and not the fault of anybody in Brussels or the EU Directive.

(33) The objective of achieving good water status should be pursued for each river basin, so that measures in respect of surface water and groundwaters belonging to the same ecological, hydrological and hydrogeological system are coordinated.

(35) Within a river basin where use of water may have transboundary effects, the requirements for the achievement of the environmental objectives established under this Directive, and in particular all programmes of measures, should be coordinated for the whole of the river basin district. For river basins extending beyond the boundaries of the Community, Member States should endeavour to ensure the appropriate coordination with the relevant non-member States. This Directive is to contribute to the implementation of Community obligations under international conventions on water protection and management, notably the United Nations Convention on the protection and use of transboundary water courses and international lakes, approved by Council Decision 95/308/EC(15) and any succeeding agreements on its application.

Article 3
Coordination of administrative arrangements within river basin districts
4. Member States shall ensure that the requirements of this Directive for the achievement of the environmental objectives established under Article 4, and in particular all programmes of measures are coordinated for the whole of the river basin district. For international river basin districts the Member States concerned shall together ensure this coordination and may, for this purpose, use existing structures stemming from international agreements. At the request of the Member States involved, the Commission shall act to facilitate the establishment of the programmes of measures.

And just to sign off on the mistaken belief that the EU is responsible for the recent flooding…….
Article 1
Purpose
(e) contributes to mitigating the effects of floods and droughts

If Liz Truss will now allow farmers to dredge very long ditches without working through the consequences for other areas downstream, then it just goes to show what poor quality Government we have here in the UK.

[sidthelamp]

With regard to previous posts………

Of course you can dredge before the event. Preventative dredging means that waterways are cleared as far as possible before heavy rains and the risk of flooding in the dredged areas is reduced because the dredged waterways can carry larger volumes of water. You do not wait until there is flooding before you start dredging.

Dredging has not been outlawed by the EU Directive.

The EU Directive requires comprehensive management plans with joined up thinking and joined up actions covering the whole of a water system as illustrated in the following extracts. If there has been lack of co-ordination of actions within different parts of river basin systems here in the UK, that is failure within the UK and not the fault of anybody in Brussels or the EU Directive.

(33) The objective of achieving good water status should be pursued for each river basin, so that measures in respect of surface water and groundwaters belonging to the same ecological, hydrological and hydrogeological system are coordinated.

(35) Within a river basin where use of water may have transboundary effects, the requirements for the achievement of the environmental objectives established under this Directive, and in particular all programmes of measures, should be coordinated for the whole of the river basin district. For river basins extending beyond the boundaries of the Community, Member States should endeavour to ensure the appropriate coordination with the relevant non-member States. This Directive is to contribute to the implementation of Community obligations under international conventions on water protection and management, notably the United Nations Convention on the protection and use of transboundary water courses and international lakes, approved by Council Decision 95/308/EC(15) and any succeeding agreements on its application.

Article 3
Coordination of administrative arrangements within river basin districts
4. Member States shall ensure that the requirements of this Directive for the achievement of the environmental objectives established under Article 4, and in particular all programmes of measures are coordinated for the whole of the river basin district. For international river basin districts the Member States concerned shall together ensure this coordination and may, for this purpose, use existing structures stemming from international agreements. At the request of the Member States involved, the Commission shall act to facilitate the establishment of the programmes of measures.

And just to sign off on the mistaken belief that the EU is responsible for the recent flooding…….
Article 1
Purpose
(e) contributes to mitigating the effects of floods and droughts

If Liz Truss will now allow farmers to dredge very long ditches without working through the consequences for other areas downstream, then it just goes to show what poor quality Government we have here in the UK.

no you cant dredge before the event only if theres a imminent event your not quoting the fundamental parts of the directive, that protect rivers from any work at all, your misleading,

the proof is that they have now relented on private land because it was banned by the eu directive , so now there breaking eu rules, which does not matter really because most of europe breaks the rules when they see fit , and we will be leaving anyway soon enough