Knapp Hill
Knapp Hill Feasibility Study
Calm Engineering were asked by Mendip District Council to investigate a highway flooding issue on one of the main access routes into Wells, Somerset. The main issue appeared to be a culverted watercourse beneath the road which the highway drainage was supposed to discharge into and seemingly wasn’t able to. Upon further investigation, we discovered that this was not an isolated issue and that flooding also occurred further up the road where a second watercourse was culverted under the road.
This second watercourse was situated in an area known as Knapp Hill. It is a small winterbourne watercourse which passes through an unmanaged woodland, under a road and through a privately-owned golf course and then along an open channel at the back of residential gardens. This then converges with the aforementioned culverted watercourse. So the two issues were interconnected.
About the project.
During our initial assessment we noted various issues that we felt could benefit from a wider multi agency approach looking more broadly at the catchment. Particularly given that the lines were blurred with regards to ownership of the various assets and that these often had shared responsibility or no-one claiming ownership at all.
Calm Engineering secured £10,000 of funding on behalf of Mendip District Council, to undertake a feasibility study to assess the overall condition of the watercourses and structures within this small catchment, review the effectiveness of the road gullies and culverts and propose solutions for improving the flood management of the catchment.
The greatest challenge for this project will be ensuring that the interests of all the different organisations and landowners are addressed and incorporated within the emerging solutions. Any proposed solutions will then be delivered through a multi-agency collaboration, funded through the SRA and other partners. We will also be working closely with the Brue Catchment Sub Group (of which Calm Engineering is a member) who are also looking at the wider river catchment to determine if this project can sit within the emerging Brue Catchment Action Plan.
