Above: Tim Dafforn, Countryside Manager for the National Trust, speaking to Network Rail staff visiting the Killerton floodplain project recently.
Two major transport links run alongside the River Culm for a stretch of around 10 miles: the M5 motorway and the Great Western Main Railway line connecting the South West Peninsula to the rest of the country. This critical infrastructure has historically depended on concrete, stone and steel to protect it from the forces of nature. Now, as climate change intensifies flood risk, and the river’s ecosystems are creaking under the pressure of pollution from multiple sources, managers at National Highways and Network Rail are turning to nature to find solutions that can build resilience through the coming decades.
We have reported here previously about our work with National Highways, developing plans to construct wetlands that can absorb road pollutants before they reach the river. These plans are now reaching fruition and we hope to move into construction later this year. We’re also hoping to secure National Highways funding to improve some “critical infrastructure” for the rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly in the Blackdown Hills! This takes the form of creating species-rich grasslands that include the butterfly’s food plant, devil’s bit scabious.
Now, after many years of meetings, discussions and modelling, we are very excited to have secured funding from Network Rail to investigate how they could invest in nature-based solutions to reduce the risk of flooding at Hele Junction. The picture at the head of this article is from a site visit by the newly formed “Climate Adaptation team” at Network Rail who are tasked with tackling flood risk along the Western route and are increasingly interested in working with nature to protect the railway.
The team also visited some substantial leaky dams installed in the Ken catchment through the Connecting the Culm DRIP project, and looked at how we are working to slow the flow in headwaters across the Culm.
The funding from Network Rail means we can model concept designs to store more water on the floodplain in major flood events; if these ideas are effective in principle, then we can then move into more detailed designs. This floodplain-focused work will be complementary to our ongoing work across the catchment to reduce flood risk, drought risk and support nature recovery.
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