Midlands Flooding: update from Partner in Action, Lea Brook Valley Project

Many of our supporters may have seen images of the recent flooding in Yorkshire and Derbyshire in the news or witnessed first hand these floods. Areas affected by heavy rain include our Partner in Action, Lea Brook Valley.

The Lea Brook Valley Project in the heart of Dronfield, Derbyshire is a 1 km green corridor along the main waterway of the Lea Brook. The project site, transformed from an underused area filled with rubbish to a lovely green space enjoyed by residents and wildlife alike, includes balancing ponds, part of the Dronfield Sustainable Drainage System. Collaboration with Yorkshire Water has resulted in sustainable flood meadows, which help to reduce surface water flooding in this vulnerable area.

The Project is coordinated by Christians in Dronfield, with a team of local volunteers, working for conservation and community engagement. Volunteer Norman Crowson sent up this update:

“At the height of the floods in both Sheffield and Matlock in Derbyshire we did get some very excessive rainfall that made its way down the Lea Brook Valley. In the worst night of rain, the level in the pond was so high that it overflowed the weir at the exit and all the habitat work we had done was under water, the new pond at the inlet to the balancing pond had risen to about 30cm off the observation platform, the inlet was a raging torrent. At the back of the bungalows on one edge of the main pond the water came to within a few feet of the footpath.

Thankfully the bank of the new pond held firm and the water just covered it without any damage. Further down the valley a lot of debris was washed down and at one point we had to alert the council when it was about to block the culvert which would divert the flow into the premises at the bottom of the valley.

It was worrying to see the rain beating down and wondering what was happening to the balancing pond where we had done so much work. However, the balancing pond did its job and the area at the centre of the town was not flooded, there are no lasting problems at any part of the valley for which we praise God.”