The Vale of White Horse District Council agreed last week to put £68,075 towards Natural Flood Management upstream on the River Ock.
Natural Flood Management aims is to hold back flood water so that important settlements, like Abingdon, do not get it all at once. The Environment Agency will be able to use the money to employ a project manager to work with land owners along the River Ock catchment. They will identify natural ways to slow down the flow of flood water after a big downpour. This could involve tree planting so the ground can absorb more water, or allowing the river to meander naturally so the water has further to travel.
Presumably this is just the first payment. Once measures have been identified, more money will be needed.
The picture shows the River Ock flowing through Abingdon earlier today.
