Second Phase of the Ouse Washes Flood Scheme Underway

Work is well underway on the second phase of the £27 million Ouse Washes flood defense scheme, according to the civil engineering firm Jackson.

This £27 million project involves raising the Middle Level Barrier Bank from Earith to the Welmore Lake Sluice just past Welney, and will take four summers to complete.

The works will see the bank raised from between 600mm and 800mm – depending on the section – along its 30km length.

Tim Honeyball, Sub Agent said: “The scheme is now in its second season of four, and we are ahead of schedule on this year’s program. Working close to the Ouse Washes SSSI has meant a lot of collaboration with the EA, RSPB and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.”

“As the Washes are an internationally-important habitat, we’ll be leaving site in the autumn to avoid disturbing breeding and over-wintering birds, but will return for the third phase of summer works in July 2019 where there will be a further year of maintenance works to establish a good grass cover which is important to ensure the stability of the banks,” added Tim Honeyball.

The flood bank is the dam of the flood storage reservoir, the area of the Ouse Washes which is deliberately flooded. When full the reservoir stores approximately 90,000,000 cubic meters of water.

So far, the team has raised 8km of embankment and built 70 meters of reinforced concrete flood wall.