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| Gloucestershire County Councillor for the Greens, Sarah Lunnon next to a log pile on the Slad Brook |
Deep in
the upper reaches of the Slad Brook (in Stroud, Gloucestershire), among the remains of mills and leats, what
can only be described as a revolution is taking place. Rural Sustainable
Drainage Systems (RSuDS) have arrived in the Five Valleys - essentially a system of reducing flood risk by using natural processes to
hold back flood water up-stream where it doesn't cause any problems.
After
much lobbying and encouragement (and cross party support including from County
Councillors) the Frome Catchment was selected as suitable for a pilot project
by the Environment Agency in 2011 and work started along the Slad Brook and
Painswick Stream in 2014. The pilot project is supported by the National Trust, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Gloucestershire County Council and Stroud
District Council. It received its primary funding from a body called the
Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, which enabled a project officer to be
employed.
