H2O will create new LoCaM & SEARCHRECORD GIS tools. It will implement evidence based Natural Flood (NFM) & Drought (NDM) management, which will reduce public money spent on managing water issues. It will include a valuation of natural capital (NCV) which currently is novel & not adapted for lowland areas. Flooding costs EUR 1bn in UK & 400m in France annually. By adapting the way of managing flood & drought risks we will introduce a potential cost saving of up to 90% &improve water quality, reducing nutrients, pollution, & sediment by 15% inpilot areas (Rivers Stour, Authie).
Flooding affects local communities & businesses as rapid water run-off increases pollutants (phosphates, agro-chemicals) & sediments in rivers; drought damages ecosystems & quality of rivers, transitional & coastal (TRAC) waters by concentrating pollutants. Pollutants also affect coastal fish spawning grounds (e.g. mackerel) & quality of tourist beaches. Currently NFM/NDM are implemented based on best judgement, rather than scientific data.
Water management is publicly funded & requires expensive hard structures. The project will implement NFM through tree & hedge planting, creation of leaky dams (WPT1) & NDM techniques, e.g scrapes & channels (WPT2). These implementations will be chosen by mapping & ground analysis to maximise efficiency.
H2O implementation is in 4 stages:
Evidence based mapping: Create LoCaM tool and map FR and UK River Catchments selecting 4 test areas (2 UK, 2 FR ) for NFM and 2 test areas (1 x Uk, 1xFR) for NDM (WPT1 and WP T2).
Land intervention models: Implementation of NFM and NDM measures in selected test areas (WP T1 and WP T2).
Monitor and Measure results through a) use of water quality technology b) general public monitoring programme (WP T1) (new: SEARCHRECORD to log results) c) valuation of natural capital benefits (WP T3).
Evaluation: a) partners and beneficiaries NCV trained (WPT3) demonstrate value of NFM/NDM b) reduced cost to implement NFM/NDM versus current approaches c) improved water quality.
UK & FR environmental agencies recognise the benefit of a new approach with NFM/NDM and agree that NCV in managing water is beneficial. Active contributors (inc. National Agencies, local councils, business, University & NGOs) -see letters of support, will bring additional expertise.
Pilot areas offer a full range of lowland habitat types & land use. FR experience in environmental communication (PP3) and ecosystem management (PP2); UK experience in ecosystem & water management (PP1), water management & public policy engagement (PP4) will enable the partnership to implement pilots and roll out LoCaM.Percentage of transitional and coastal water bodies with good or high ecological status.NFM/NDM adopted by land managers to reduce pollution in riparian/transitional/coastal waters (12 changes implemented) 2. NFM/NDM, supported by NVM, drives whole system water management policy development on catchments in Kent and Hauts-de-France (6 FR and 6 UK water management changes implemented). NFM/NDM will improve water quality in terms of reducing the effect of nutrients, pollution, sediment and faecal contamination by 15%.