How Monitoring Data is Funding Natural Flood Management at Lea Brook Valley

Supporting Flood Resilience Through Data-Driven Insight

For more than 50 years, the Lea Brook Valley CIO Natural Flood Management (NFM) scheme has played a vital role in reducing flood risk for local communities in Derbyshire. Originally constructed in the early 1970s, the scheme combines natural flood management principles with engineered attenuation infrastructure to capture, store and gradually release surface water back into the Lea Brook catchment. Today, the site delivers far more than flood protection, providing valuable habitat creation, biodiversity enhancement, community engagement and educational opportunities.

The Challenge

As Natural Flood Management schemes become increasingly important in managing the impacts of climate change and extreme weather, demonstrating their effectiveness is essential. Asset owners and custodians need robust evidence to quantify flood attenuation performance, prove environmental outcomes and support long-term investment.

Following a lease agreement between Yorkshire Water and Lea Brook Valley CIO, there was a clear need to generate reliable data that could demonstrate the value delivered by the scheme, not only in terms of flood risk reduction but also the wider environmental and community benefits it creates.

The Solution

Since 2016, Detectronic has provided continuous hydraulic monitoring across the site using a dedicated rainfall and flow monitoring system. The solution comprises a rain gauge and two flow monitoring installations positioned on the inlet channels feeding the attenuation pond. Together, these systems continuously record rainfall, flow, water depth and velocity data, providing a detailed understanding of how much surface water is entering and being managed by the scheme.

The monitoring programme enables stakeholders to move beyond assumptions and rely on measurable evidence when assessing the performance of the Natural Flood Management asset. This independent data provides confidence that the scheme is delivering the flood attenuation benefits it was designed to achieve.

Demonstrating Performance During Extreme Weather

The value of the monitoring system was clearly demonstrated during Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin in February 2022. During these major weather events, the monitoring equipment recorded approximately 31,615m³ of water moving through the attenuation system, equivalent to around 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The data highlighted the significant role the scheme plays in reducing downstream flood risk and managing high surface water volumes during periods of intense rainfall.

Turning Environmental Data Into Sustainable Funding

Beyond measuring hydraulic performance, the monitoring data provides a powerful evidence base that supports long-term environmental funding opportunities. The information generated helps demonstrate the volume of water being intercepted and managed by the scheme, supporting initiatives such as surface water rebates, biodiversity projects, partnership arrangements and wider environmental enhancement programmes.

Revenue secured through these initiatives is reinvested directly into the reserve, helping fund ongoing maintenance of the flood attenuation asset, habitat improvement projects, volunteer conservation activities, educational programmes and the continued development of the site’s 1.5km Green Corridor.

Results

Today, the Lea Brook Valley CIO scheme demonstrates how environmental monitoring can deliver benefits that extend well beyond regulatory reporting. By providing independent evidence of flood attenuation performance, Detectronic helps transform environmental data into sustainable funding, ensuring this valuable Natural Flood Management asset continues to deliver lasting environmental, social and economic value for future generations.