Advance the Line
The construction of a new flood management scheme in front of
existing flood defences |
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Appraisal
The process of defining objectives, examining options and weighing
up the coasts, benefits, risks and uncertainties before a decision
is made. |
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Biodiversity
Action Plans (BAPS)
A strategy for conserving and enhancing wild species and wildlife
habitats in the UK. |
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Brushwood polders
Low wooden stakes are driven into intertidal area and interwoven
with brushwood in an attempt to create areas of shelter against
waves or strong currents to encourage silt to settle. |
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Coastal Habitat
Management Plans (CHaMPS)
Ensure compliance of future SMPs and Coastal Defence Strategies
with the Habitats and Birds Directives. |
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Climate change
Ultraviolet radiation passes through the Earths atmosphere and
warms the planet's surface before being reflected back into
space as infrared radiation. Gases such as carbon dioxide and
methane are called Greenhouse gases, which trap some of the
heat from radiation in the atmosphere. The concentration of
these gases has increased dramatically as a result of human
activity therefore trapping more heat and thus causing global
temperatures to increase and climates to change. |
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Coastal squeeze
A process whereby areas of saltmarsh or mudflat become trapped
between the seawall and the rising sea levels and erode away
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Compensatory
habitat
EU legalisation states that to offset losses of natural habitat
as a result of coastal squeeze new habitat shall be created. |
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Coastal
protection
Those measures taken under the Coastal Protection Act 1949 to
protect against coastal erosion and undertaken largely by the
Local Authorities and private landowners. |
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Compulsory purchase
order
A piece of land required for development is purchased regardless
of consent from the landowner in accordance with statutory procedures.
Landowners affected by CPOs will receive compensation reflecting
the loss they have sustained as a direct result. |
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Candidate Special Area of Conservation
(cSAC)
An internationally important habitat or species designated under
the EC Habitats Directive |
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Culvert
A covered channel, pipe or drain which carries a watercourse
beneath a building, a structure or an embankment or which is
below ground level. |
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Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
The UK government department responsible for flood defence policy,
the environment and animal welfare and regulation of the food
industry. |
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Economic Appraisal
An appraisal that takes into account a wide range of coastal
benefits, generally those which can be valued in monetary terms. |
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Environmental
Of, relating to, or associated with the environment. Or relating
to or being concerned with the ecological impact of altering
the environment. |
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Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA)
An assessment applied at the project level is a process intended
to ensure that environmental impacts of schemes are identified
prior to the work being carried out so that proposals can be
modified or managed in such a way that adverse impacts are avoided
or minimised. It is also referred to in some of the literature
as Environmental Assessment (EA). Environmental Appraisal is
sometimes used to refer to a less formalised process than EIA
where an assessment is not required by legislation. |
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Environmentally Sensitive Area
(ESA)
An area defined by MAFF (now Defra) for which grant aid is available
for appropriate agricultural and water/land management. |
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Eutrophication
The enrichment of water by nutrients, especially nitrogen and/or
phosphorous, which cause accelerated growth of algae and high
plant life. Eutrophication can lead to changes in the ecological
balance of the water body and deterioration in water quality.
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Exit Strategy
A document that presents future options for land owners, where
there is no economic justification for the Environment Agency
to continue maintaining the existing flood defences. |
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Flood compartment
A discrete area of flood-risk that is bounded by raised land
features or structures, which prevent the passage of flood waters. |
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Flood defence
The Water Resources Act (1991) gives the Environment Agency
general supervision over all matters related to Flood Defence.
The Agency has the main responsibly for the prevention of flooding
of lowland under the Land Drainage Act (1991). The Agency's
powers are permissive thus it does not have to maintain flood
defences if it is deemed no longer necessary. |
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Flood defence
condition
The condition of defences defending low lying areas adjacent
to the coast or a river against flooding. |
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Flood defence
structures
These include sluices, weirs, barriers, locks, outfall culverts
and pumping stations. |
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Flood management strategy
A long-term approach to developing and setting out the policy,
objectives and options for flood defence taking into account
a broad range of local, national and international issues. |
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Foreshore recharge
Area of beach between mean low and mean high water mark where
material is placed in front of existing seawalls and defence.
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Groynes
Fixed structures extending out from the seawall used to control
erosion or promote deposition. |
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Habitat
The living place of a plant or animal or a community of plants
and animals OR terrestrial or aquatic areas distinguished by
geographic, living and non-living features, whether entirely
natural or semi-natural (The EC habitats directive). |
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EU habitats
directive
To provide for conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna
and flora in Europe. |
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Hold the line
Retaining the existing flood defence line by carrying out maintenance
and repairs as necessary. |
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hydrographic
Relating to the science of hydrography which is the scientific
description and analysis of the physical conditions, boundaries,
flow, and related characteristics of the earth's surface waters.
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Hydrology
The science dealing with the properties, distribution, and circulation
of water. |
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Hydronamic
modelling
Allows water movements, speeds and directions to be simulated
on a computer to give a representation of how the estuary processes
work and predicts how future processes (as a result of sea level
rise or changes to flood defences) might behave. |
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Intertidal
zone
The range of depths between highest and lowest extent of the
tides. |
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Invertebrates
Any organism that does not have a skull, vertebral column and
well developed brain. Examples of such an animal would be the
rag worm Nereis diversicolor. Commonly found in large
numbers buried in the mud and sands of our coasts and estuaries.
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Isotactic adjustment
Vertical changes of the land brought about by geological processes
that have occurred locally. |
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LIDAR
Is an acronym for LIght
Detection And
Ranging. This is a technique
which can be used to measure the distance, speed, rotation,
chemical composition and concentration of a remote target where
the target can be a clearly defined object, such as a vehicle,
or a diffuse object such as a smoke plume or clouds. The Agency
uses an aeroplane to fly over the LIDAR target. |
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Local Flood
Defence Committee (LFDC)
LFDCs have delegated powers from Regional Flood Defence Committees
to discharge the Agency's flood defence and land drainage functions
in the region. |
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Limited intervention
Maintenance and repair of flood defences only if categorised
for health and safety reasons. |
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Managed
realignment
Breaching of a seawall at a designated site to allow the tide
to inundate the site over each tidal cycle. |
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No Active
Intervention
There would be no further active intervention by the Environment
Agency. Without intervention the defences would eventually fail
and areas currently protected from flooding would no longer
be protected. This would happen gradually over a long period
of time. However, land owners may be entitled to pay for the
continued maintenance of the flood defences or undertake maintenance
themselves following the preparation of an Exit Strategy. |
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Preferred
Options
Flood management options that meet most or all of the strategic
objectives. There is high confidence at a strategic level that
these options are feasible and should be developed by undertaking
a detailed scheme appraisal prior to implementation |
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Protected
habitats
Habitats protected against damaging impacts (usually human influenced)
by various international, European and national legislation.
For example important wetlands protected under the Ramsar Convention.
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Regulated
Tidal Exchange
The regulated exchange of sea water to an area behind fixed
flood defences, through engineered structures such as sluices,
tide-gates or pipes, to create saline or brackish habitats. |
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Return Period
The average length of time separating flood events of a similar
magnitude: a 100-year flood will occur on average once in every
100 years. |
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Ramsar
treaty
Provides the framework for the conservation of wetlands and
their resources. |
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Special Area
of Conservation (SAC)
The Habitats Directive lists important species and habitats
that if present in a Member State should be considered for designation
within a Special Area of Conservation. |
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Saltmarsh
An intertidal habitat comprising salt tolerant vegetation. Frequency
and duration of tidal inundation determines which plants and
animal species are present. Saltmarshes are bisected by meandering
creek systems, which allow tidal waters to drain in and out.
The creeks slow down tidal energy and the marsh plants slow
down wave energy. |
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Sea level rise
The rise and fall of sea levels throughout time in response
to global climate and local tectonic changes. |
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Shoreline Management
Plans (SMPs)
A national initiative for the future planning of the coastline
taking a holistic approach to include all coastal authorities.
The document brings together information pertaining to coastal
issues such as flooding, erosion, coastal process and human
and environmental needs. |
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Special
landscape area
Non-statutory designation in a Local Plan |
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Special
Protection Area (SPA)
An area identified and protected under the EU Birds Directive
as being internationally important for breeding, over-wintering
and migrating birds. |
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Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI)
The Wildlife and Countryside Act bestows a duty on the Government
to designate land as an SSSI if the land is important in scientific
terms due to it's flora or fauna or geological features. SSSIs
are now afforded greater protection under the Countryside Rights
of Way Act (CROW) 2000. |
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Strategy
A long term plan, known as a flood defence management strategy,
is developed and sets out the policy and objectives for flood
defence taking into account a broad range of local interests
and issues. |
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Standard of Protection
The flood event return period above which significant damage
and possible failure of the flood defences could occur. |
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Sustainability
The degree to which flood and coastal defence solutions avoid
tying future generations into flexible and/or expensive options
for defence. This will usually include consideration of inter-relationships
with other defences and likely developments and processes within
a catchment or coastal cell. |
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Water Framework Directive
A European Directive that aims to establish a framework for
the protection of inland surface waters (rivers and lakes),
transitional waters (estuaries), coastal waters and groundwater.
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