Hello, geographers, my name's Mrs. Hormigo, and I'm looking forward to teaching you today.

I hope you're going to enjoy the lesson and learn lots.

Let's get started.

During today's lesson, we are going to look at flood management in Carlisle.

We're going to look at the different strategies that are used, and think about why they were needed, and how they are having a positive and negative effect.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to use this example to discuss reasons, strategies, and issues connected with a flood management scheme.

There are three key words for today's lesson, severity, hard engineering, and soft engineering.

Severity talks about the seriousness or intensity of a natural hazard or event.

In this case, we're looking at a flood.

Hard engineering is the use of artificial structures and technologies to control natural processes such as flooding or river erosion.

And soft engineering uses natural processes and landscape features to reduce the risk of flooding and erosion.

There are three parts to today's lesson.

The first is explain why flood management is needed in Carlisle.

The second is to describe the flood management scheme in Carlisle.

And the third, assess the effects of the scheme in Carlisle.

So let's get started with the first learning cycle and think about why it is that Carlisle needs flood management.

So let's look at this OS map extract.

Carlisle is located in northwest England.

And we can see here by looking at the map that it lies at the confluence of the meeting points of three rivers, the River Eden, the River Caldew, and the River Petteril.

It's already then quite vulnerable in its location.

If you look at this map here, which is produced by the Environment Agency to help the area to assess flood risk, we can see that a lot of Carlisle is at risk of flooding.

The darker the colour, the higher the risk.

So a location on the floodplain close to three rivers puts Carlisle at high risk from floods.

The floodplain is the flat area in the lower course next to a river which is prone to flooding.

So a quick check for you now.

What does this map show us about Carlisle's flood risk? Think carefully about why it's produced by the Environment Agency.

And pause the video and come back when you've got your answer.

So this map shows us that Carlisle has a high risk of flooding from nearby rivers.

So this tells us that we need to think carefully about how we're going to manage this risk because it will affect a large part of Carlisle.

So urban growth in Carlisle has increased this risk of flooding.

Drainage systems in urban areas can become overwhelmed during heavy rain.

Impermeable surfaces like tarmac and concrete increase the surface runoff.

And building on floodplains removes the natural storage areas for flood water.

So the growth of Carlisle has led to these three factors becoming an issue.

And as a result of these, we have less infiltration and more surface runoff.

So therefore, more water is entering the river more quickly, which means their levels raise more quickly and the risk of flooding is increased.

Carlisle has experienced several major flooding events, so we know it has a history of flooding.

For example, in 2005, there was a severe flood caused by prolonged heavy rainfall and saturated ground, which saw over 1,800 homes flooded, and three people sadly died.

Infrastructure was also badly damaged.

And then again, in 2015 during Storm Desmond, extreme rainfall led to even worse flooding.

And even more properties this time were damaged by floods, over 2,000, and transport and services were disrupted.

The flood defences that had been put in place after 2005 were then upgraded again because they were overwhelmed by these floods in 2015.

The frequency and severity of flooding is also increasing.

So we have more frequent events in recent decades.

So two significant floods in 2005 and 2015, which suggests that flooding is becoming more common in Carlisle.

And the severity is increasing.

So we have record breaking rainfall During storm Desmond, over 340 millimetres of rain fell in 24 hours.

And along with that, we're having record river levels.

Now this may be linked to climate change, which is causing more intense storms. True or false then.

Carlisle has a high risk of flooding due only to human factors.

Have a think as to whether that is true or false and why you think that? Come back when you have your answer and your reason.

I hope you said false.

And I hope that's because you'd considered the factors we've just discussed and you may have thought something similar to this for your reason.

So while human factors have increased the flood risk by building over the floodplains, which are naturally a store of flood water, Carlisle's location, at the confluence of three rivers and the increasing frequency and intensity of storms, are physical factors that also increase the flood risk.

So it's a combination of both human and physical factors which lead to this high risk of flooding in Carlisle.

First task for you now.

Can you complete this table to explain why Carlisle has a high risk of river flooding? Pause the video and come back when you've had a go at describing why location, urban growth, and recent flooding events lead to an increased flood risk.

Your completed table may look something like this.

So the factor for location and your reason for increased flood might be, Carlisle is built on a floodplain at the confluence of three rivers, making it vulnerable to river flooding.

Urban growth, this increases the impermeable surfaces and drainage networks, so more water returns to the river more quickly.

And recent flooding events.

Frequency and severity of flooding events appears to be increasing as a result of climate change.

Well done if your table looks something similar to this one.

Let's move now to our second learning cycle, describe the flood management scheme in Carlisle.

So the Carlisle Flood Management Scheme is a large-scale project which involves partnerships between the Environment Agency, Cumbria County Council, Carlisle City Council, and Defra, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs.

It's had 25 million pounds invested into a three-phase scheme that started in 2019, so following a review after the floods in 2015.

The scheme focuses on areas that are high risk from flooding.

So it uses the data collected by the Environment Agency that is used to produce those flood risk maps.

Phase one, which was started in 2019 and lasted until 2021, focused on the River Petteril in the Botcherby area and Warwick Road area.

Phase two, which was completed between 2020 and 2021, focused on the River Eden in the Sands Centre and Bitts Park area of Carlisle.

And phase three, which is yet to be completed, focuses on the River Caldew in the southeast of Carlisle.

The aims of this flood management scheme is protection, protection for people and property.

If you remember, the floods were damaging over 2,000 people's property.

It aims to increase river capacity.

So the channel, river channel wants to hold more water, so that it doesn't flood as easily.

It wants to improve flood resilience.

It wants to slow the flow naturally.

So try to reduce surface runoff and increase infiltration rates.

It wants to enhance early warning and community preparedness so that people can move to safety, protect their properties.

And finally, it wants to support sustainable and long-term protection.

So the strategies put into place need to work now and into the future.

So it needs to consider the impact of climate change and the intensity of storms in the future.

As a result, it needs to use both hard and soft engineering strategies in order to meet all of these different aims. So true or false for you.

The aim of flood management scheme is to stop floods happening.

Is that true or false, and why? I hope you said false, and I hope the reasons for that were that a flood management scheme cannot completely stop flooding, but it can greatly reduce the risk, frequency, and the impact of floods.

And the aim is using hard and soft engineering strategies to protect people and property, increase resilience to floods, as well as slowing river flow in a natural and sustainable way.

So the hard engineering strategies that we used in Carlisle were.

Existing flood walls were raised.

And we can see this happened in the Sands Centre and Warwick Road area.

They raised the embankments and extended them in the Bitts Park area and the Melbourne Park area.

And a pumping station was improved at Durranhill.

So flood walls and embankments were raised and we saw there that happened around the Sands Centre area, Bitts Park, and Melbourne Park.

By doing that, we're increasing the river channel capacity due to the higher boundary so the channel can hold more water during storm events.

River channels were widened near Warwick Road.

And again, this helps to increase the river channel capacity.

And the Durranhill pumping station was upgraded so that more flood water could be pumped out more quickly.

So this helps to remove excess water from the flood storage basin.

So that reduces the pressure on the main river channel, providing an area where that that excess water can go.

These three hard engineering strategies will successfully protect people and property, improve flood resilience, and increase the river capacity.

So hopefully they will successfully meet the aims of the flood management scheme.

Soft engineering has taken place in the Fellfoot Forward area, which is upstream of Carlisle.

And here natural flood management techniques have been used.

We've had tree planting or afforestation.

By increasing the amount of vegetation covering the slopes, we're increasing interception, so less rainfall is reaching the soil, and we're increasing infiltration, as tree roots will absorb some of the soil.

This should slow the amount of water reaching the river.

Leaky dams, they try to slow the amount of water flowing into the river.

And floodplain restoration.

Floodplains are natural stores of water during floods.

So by returning these areas to natural landscapes, we're allowing the water to the river to flood and for that water to be stored naturally instead of flowing into urban areas.

So all of these three natural flood management techniques are increasing infiltration and the holding of excess water naturally.

Therefore, they are sustainable, and they offer long-term protection and they slow the flow naturally, two key aspects of the flood management scheme in Carlisle.

Other ways we see soft engineering used is by upgrading flood warning systems to give people time to prepare or evacuate before the flood hits, therefore reducing the risk to life and property.

Floodplain zoning is put in place to avoid building on high-risk areas.

So by using the knowledge of where in Carlisle is at greatest risk of flooding, we can plan development carefully, reducing the number of homes and the businesses that are put on areas that are exposed to a flood risk.

And finally, community education, teaching people how to prepare, how to respond.

If people know how to do this, it will make the responses quicker and more effective.

These are the soft engineering strategies, help to meet the aims of early warning and community preparedness, and again, sustainable long-term protection.

A check for you now.

What are these flood management strategies and where are they used in Carlisle? Look carefully at the pictures.

Come back when you've had a go and we'll look at your answers together.

I hope you recognise them all successfully.

The first is tree planting, and that happens in the Fellfoot Forward area upstream.

The second are flood walls, which have been put in place in the Warwick Road and Bitts Park area of Carlisle.

And the third is floodplain zoning, which happens throughout the centre of Carlisle.

Let's have a look now at task B.

Can you answer the following questions? And remember to use specific details because this is a located example.

Number one, why was flood management needed in Carlisle? Number two, describe two hard engineering strategies used and name places where each was used.

And number three, describe one soft engineering strategy and name a place where it was used.

Pause the video and have a go at these three questions.

Come back when you're ready.

For your first answer you may have written something like this.

Flood management was needed because Carlisle has experienced severe flooding including major events in 2005 and 2015.

In 2015, Storm Desmond caused the River Eden to flow, flooding over 2,000 properties.

Carlisle is also at high risk because it lies at the confluence of three rivers, the Eden, Caldew, and Petteril, which increases the chance of river flooding following heavy rainfall.

Well done.

For question number two, looking at hard engineering strategies, your answer might have included.

One hard engineering strategy is the construction of flood walls and embankments or raising the height of existing ones, especially along Warwick Road and near Melbourne Park, to stop water from entering residential areas during floods.

Another is the Durranhill pumping station, which helps remove excess water from the Durranhill Beck area.

And it uses automated pumps to control water levels and prevent surface flooding, especially in the Botcherby area.

Question three, looking at soft engineering, your answer may have included.

One soft engineering strategy is natural flood management in the Fellfoot Forward area, upstream of Carlisle.

This includes planting trees, building leaky dams, and restoring floodplains to slow down runoff.

These measures help store rainwater naturally, reducing the volume and speed of water entering the rivers that flow through Carlisle.

Well done if you've managed to answer all three of those questions.

You should have a really good understanding now of the scheme in place and why it was needed.

Let's move now to our final learning cycle, assess the effects of the scheme in Carlisle.

So the scheme has had both positive and negative effects.

And we can split these into social impacts, which are the effects on people and communities, economic impacts, which are the effects on businesses, employment, and investment, and environmental impacts, the effects on the natural environment.

Let's look at each of these in a little bit more detail now.

Starting with social impacts.

So the positive impacts it's had are that we've seen investment into public spaces, which has improved community spaces and wellbeing.

Over 2,800 homes and businesses are now better protected from flooding.

There've been improved flood warning systems, so people now have more time to evacuate if needed or protect their property.

And residents feel safer, reducing anxiety, and therefore their quality of life has improved.

However, not all areas are protected equally and some communities may still feel vulnerable.

If you remember, there were three phases to the scheme and only the first two have been fully completed.

And that during the completion of these phases there's been disruption and there have been road closures and noise, which has its impacts on the local community.

True or false then.

The social impacts of the flood management scheme were all positive.

Pause the video and come back when you've got your answer.

I hope you said false.

And you could remember that although the social effects were largely positive, with properties protected, people feeling safer, and better warning systems, which helped to mitigate the impacts of floods, however, not all areas are protected equally, so some communities still feel vulnerable, and the construction of the flood defences caused some disruption.

Well done.

Let's look now at economic impacts, so the effects on local businesses and investment.

25 million pounds was invested into it to reduce the damage of future floods.

Businesses have been protected, which helps to support the local economy and jobs.

However, some local businesses experienced a loss of income during the construction phase.

And there were high initial costs to the government and taxpayers.

Finally, let's have a think about the environmental impacts.

The use of natural flood management supports biodiversity and improves water quality, which is a really positive long-term impact.

New green spaces provide wildlife habitats and recreational areas.

So by restoring floodplains and planting trees, we're creating these new habitats, which is a very positive long-term effect.

However, during the construction as many of the strategies were hard engineering, there's been some disruption to the river banks and the ecosystems, so they may have been disturbed.

And the construction of hard defences like the concrete walls can visually impact the natural landscape, and that is a long-term impact.

Let's have a quick check then.

Which of these are economic impacts? 25 million pound investment, improved biodiversity, improved flood warnings, loss of income for local businesses.

Pause the video and come back when you've decided.

I hope you said A and D.

25 million pound investment, which is a really positive economic impact.

And D, a loss of income for local businesses, which is a negative and happened during the construction phase.

Final task for today's lesson then.

Can you assess the social, economic, and environmental effects of the flood management scheme in Carlisle? Assess is quite a tricky command word, so let's have a look and see what Alex says.

Assess, this command word means I must make a judgement as to how effective the scheme is.

I must consider positive and negative effects.

And I know I should also try to include specific details from the Carlisle example.

That's a really good starting point for your answer.

Pause the video and come back when you've had a go at doing this.

Let's have a look at what your answer might have included.

The Carlisle Flood Management Scheme was introduced after severe flooding in 2015, led by the Environment Agency.

Socially, the scheme has had many positive effects.

Residents feel safer and improved flood warning systems have increased community preparedness.

However, there was disruption during construction including road closures and noise, which temporarily affected the quality of life.

Economically, the scheme aims to mitigate future flood damage costs and protecting businesses help support the local economy.

However, the scheme required a large investment, 25 million pounds, and some businesses experienced temporary income loss during construction.

Environmentally, the scheme includes natural flood management techniques such as tree planting and wetland restoration, which have enhanced biodiversity and created new habitats.

However, some hard engineering like flood walls may have negatively affected the visual landscape and disturbed river banks during construction.

In conclusion, the Carlisle scheme has had mostly positive effects, especially in reducing flood risk and improving sustainability, despite some short-term costs and disruption.

Well done if your answer is similar to this.

You can see that this answer considers the social, economic, and environmental impacts looking at both the positive and negative of each.

It's also got place-specific details and a conclusion.

Well done.

Let's have a look now at a summary of today's lesson.

Carlisle is at high risk of flooding due to physical and human factors.

The flood management scheme combines hard and soft engineering, including raised flood walls and pumping stations, example, Durranhill, and natural flood management upstream, example in the Fellfoot Forward area.

Soft engineering techniques such as reconnected floodplains, more tree planting and community preparedness help make Carlisle more sustainable and resilient to future climate-related flooding.

There are social, economic, and environmental impacts of the scheme, which are both positive and negative.

Well done.

I hope you feel that you can now confidently talk about the flood management scheme in Carlisle, why it was needed, what it involves, and the impact that it's had.

I look forward to seeing you all again soon.