The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the policy lead for flood and coastal erosion risk management in England. These national policies created by DEFRA are then delivered by Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) which are:
- Hertfordshire County Council as the Lead Local Flood Authority
- Hertfordshire County Council as the Highway Authority
- Environment Agency
- District and Borough Councils
- Water companies (Thames Water Utilities Limited or Anglian Water Utilities).
Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFA) Hertfordshire County Council
- What we do: we focus on managing flood risks from surface water, groundwater and smaller streams. We:
- Why it Matters: These activities are tailored to local needs and use local knowledge to minimise risk, to help local communities understand what they can do to protect their buildings from flooding and to enable communities to recover from flood events as quickly as possible. We involve the community in flood risk management as much as we can.
- Who we Work With: We coordinate with local bodies and ensure public involvement in their plans.
- Create a Flood Risk Management Strategy (Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) 2) to plan actions that need to be taken to minimise the risk of flooding across the county
- Maintain a register of assets (machinery, pumps etc) that have significant roles in flood management.
- Investigate significant flood incidents caused by surface water, groundwater or smaller streams and publish the results, with recommendations for actions that the relevant RMA’s and the community can take to reduce the impact of future flood events.
- Regulate smaller rivers (technically known as “ordinary watercourses”) to maintain proper flow. (Ordinary Watercourses | Hertfordshire County Council)
- Provide technical advice on surface water drainage to local planning authorities to ensure that major developments do not create surface water run-off that would contribute to flooding (Surface water drainage | Hertfordshire County Council).
Highways Authorities Hertfordshire County Council
- What we Do: We manage highway drainage and roadside ditches. We do this by:
- Why It Matters: Roads can act like rivers, collecting and channelling rain fall and surface water. It is important to manage this as far as possible to minimise road blockages and water flowing from roads onto neighbouring properties.
- Who We Work With: We coordinate with the other risk management authorities.
- Providing and managing highway drainage systems.
- Ensuring road projects do not increase flood risk.
- Maintaining drainage systems to prevent flooding.
- Coordinating with other flood risk management authorities.
Environment Agency (EA)
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency
- What They Do: The Environment Agency creates plans to manage flood risks from big rivers, the sea, and reservoirs. They do this through:
- Why They Matter: The plans help reduce the risk of flooding through long-term strategies and actions. Projects that the Environment Agency undertake minimise the impact of flooding on buildings and land. Warnings and advice help others to take action.
- Who They Work With: The EA collaborates with RMA’s and other groups to implement these plans.
- Developing and applying the national flood and coastal erosion risk management strategy for all sources of flooding. (National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England)
- Allocating national government funding to flood and coastal erosion risk management projects.
- Publish maps showing flood risk from the different types of flooding Check for flooding - GOV.UK
- Delivering projects to manage flood risks from main rivers and the sea.
- Preparing and delivering Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs).
- Providing flood forecasts and warnings to the public in partnership with the Met Office.
- Providing evidence and advice to support other risk management authorities.
- Monitoring and reporting on flood and coastal erosion risk management.
District and Borough Councils
Find out which district or borough you are located in here: District and borough councils | Hertfordshire County Council
- What They Do: District and Borough Councils manage flood risks from smaller watercourses and consider flood risk in planning and development. They do this through:
- Why They Matter: This work ensures new developments don't increase flood risk and flood risk management works reduce the impact of flooding.
- Who They Work With: They collaborate with The Lead Local Flood Authority and other local bodies.
- Requiring and reviewing technical information about the impact a development may have on flooding, and the measures that are being taken to prevent this when they consider planning applications
- Undertaking flood risk management works on minor watercourses.
- Supporting Lead Local Flood Authorities and other agencies in flood risk management.
Water and Sewerage Companies
Find who you supplier is here: Find Your Supplier | Water UK
- What They Do: Water companies manage the risks of flooding from piped drinking water and sewer systems. They do this through:
- Why They Matter: They ensure their systems are resilient to flooding and maintain essential services during emergencies.
- Who They Work With: They work with local authorities and other flood risk management bodies (RMA’s).
- Ensuring their systems are resilient to flooding.
- Maintaining essential services during emergencies.
- Liaising with Lead Local Flood Authorities and providing advice on how their assets impact local flood risk.
- Working with developers, landowners, and local authorities to manage the risk of flooding from surface water and sewer networks.
Local flood risk management strategy for Hertfordshire
We have developed a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy that focuses on identifying and handling local flood risk from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses, such as streams, ditches and small rivers.
Supporting documents for districts and boroughs:
- Three Rivers District Surface Water Management Plan (PDF 4.03MB)
- Appendix C - Hotspot Assessment Sheets (PDF 2.95MB)
- Appendix D - Model Methodology (PDF 1.20MB)
- Appendix E - TRDC1, Flood risk maps (PDF 1.47MB)
- Appendix E - TRDC2a, Flood risk maps (PDF 1.89MB)
- Appendix E - TRDC2b, Flood risk maps (PDF 2.00MB)
- Appendix E - TRDC4, Flood risk maps (PDF 1.47MB)
- Appendix E - TRDC9, Flood risk maps (PDF 1.34MB)
- Appendix F - TRDC1, Long list checked (PDF 233KB)
- Appendix F - TRDC2a, Long list checked (PDF 235KB)
- Appendix F - TRDC2b, Long list checked (PDF 240KB)
- Appendix F - TRDC4, Long list checked (PDF 175KB)
- Appendix F - TRDC9, Long list checked (PDF 162KB)
- Appendix G - TRDC1, Long checked (PDF 3.70MB)
- Appendix G - TRDC1, Short checked (PDF 4.02MB)
- Appendix G - TRDC2a, Long checked (PDF 4.44MB)
- Appendix G - TRDC2a, Short checked (PDF 4.85MB)
- Appendix G - TRDC2b, Long checked (PDF 4.71MB)
- Appendix G - TRDC2b, Short checked (PDF 4.67MB)
- Appendix G - TRDC4, Long checked (PDF 3.84MB)
- Appendix G - TRDC4, Short checked (PDF 3.98MB)
- Appendix G - TRDC9. Long checked (PDF 3.86MB)
- Appendix G - TRDC9, Short checked (PDF 4.09MB)