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The maps will be available on the SEPA website from 15 January 2014.
The development of the flood maps has been driven by the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 (The Act). This legislation introduced a co-ordinated and partnership approach to how Scotland tackles flood risk in Scotland in a sustainable manner.
The information in the maps is needed to help us target our resources and effort for Flood Risk Management Planning.
The coastal flood extent has been developed to extend 0.5 km off-shore around the entire coastline. This is similar to the approach taken for the Indicative River and Coastal Flood Map Scotland (IRCFMS) and provides a uniform edge to the flood extent.
In order to determine water depths ground level is subtracted from sea level. The ground level dataset used for the flood hazard maps stops at the coastline and therefore water depths can only be derived up until this point.
Yes. The indicative map no longer appears on the SEPA website as the flood maps supersede the information this contained.
SEPA used nationally recognised modelling techniques to create the flood maps and also worked closely with local authorities to review the data. Local knowledge and data was incorporated when available and possible to do so.
The map is designed to show "communities" at risk of flooding. It cannot identify individual properties at risk. Within Potentially Vulnerable Areas (see the Glossary of Terms) we recognise that not every property is at risk, similarly there are properties outside of these areas at flood risk.
This refers to the chance of a flood occurring.
Velocity is shown where we have the appropriate information to do so. That is when there is an available LiDAR DTM (ground level model) and where the model grid resolution is better than 10m.
The mapping of flooding is a dynamic process. As we develop and improve our data, methodologies and techniques the maps will be reviewed and updated. SEPA will continue to work with responsible authorities and partner organisations to improve our knowledge, understanding and the representation of flooding across Scotland.
The hazard maps show flow in the channel underneath bridges and do not show whether a particular bridge is likely to be overtopped.
The maps do not identify individual properties at risk of flooding. They are a tool to help identify communities which would benefit from flood risk management actions. Potentially Vulnerable Areas are areas previously identified to contain the greatest risk of flooding impacts and where we have focused our efforts to provide more information. However, not all properties within these areas are at flood risk and similarly, some properties outside of these areas are at flood risk.
The maps do not change where flooding happens or its impacts. They help us to plan ahead and tackle these issues to reduce the impact on our communities.
The maps cannot be used by the insurance industry to interpret flood risk of individual properties and locations. This is included in the terms and conditions that all users agree to before being able to view the map.
No. The maps cannot be used for this purpose and all users agree to this before being able to view the map. The flood maps do not identify individual properties at risk and the map scale "zoom" feature is set to support community level flood risk management decision making. We do not have a commercial licence for the map and do not supply the underlying data to the insurance industry.
The map does not provide additional flood mapping detail for individual properties. It only provides an indication of the sources and impacts of flooding at the community level. The greater scope of information at this scale will support flood risk management decisions and is also valuable for other organisations involved in community resilience.
FRM Strategies will be published by SEPA and will set out the most sustainable combination of actions to address flooding in the areas at greatest risk and where the benefits of intervention can have the greatest impact.
A FRM Strategy will be produced for each of the 14 Local Plan Districts in Scotland.
The new flood maps build on information in the National Flood Risk Assessment. The maps provide more detail on the location, character and impacts of flooding. This information will support flood risk management decisions and will be a key factor in the development of SEPA's FRM Strategies.
FRM Strategies will be published by SEPA by the end of 2015.
SEPA's FRM Strategies will be translated into a local delivery plan for each of the 14 Local Plan Districts. One local authority in each of the local plan districts, called the Lead Local Authority, has responsibility for producing these local delivery plans in partnership with the other member local authorities.
The FRM Act introduced a co-ordinated and partnership approach to how we tackle flood risk in Scotland. This legislation came into force in 2009 and was the first time FRM Strategies were required by law.
It asked for SEPA, local authorities and Scottish Water to take more sustainable action to tackle flood risk and as such we had to improve our knowledge of the sources and impacts of flooding as well as establish management structures so each authority could work more effectively together.
From 2009 until now we have carried out a substantial amount of work and published more information than ever before for the public to see.
Local FRM Plans are local delivery plans. They will detail delivery dates, consider funding and identify how actions will be co-ordinated at a local level for the next 6 years. These plans will directly benefit members of the public by tackling flood risk in the areas where the impacts are greatest and where we can achieve the greatest benefit from intervention.
The plans will be based on current information and will represent a nationally co-ordinated approach to flood risk management. As such they will set out a more cost effective means to manage flood risk and use of the public resources needed to implement them.
FRM Strategies will recommend the most sustainable combination of actions to tackle flooding. Local FRM Plans will turn these action into a local delivery plan.
Information from the flood hazard and flood risk maps is being used to inform characterisation reports and for further appraisal work. This will then be used to develop more information at the local level which will help to support Local FRM Plans.
Lead local authorities were identified in legislation as the responsible authority to deliver Local FRM Plans.
Local FRM Plans will be published by the Lead Local Authorities for each of the 14 Local Plan Districts in June 2016.
Local FRM Plans will detail actions that will be taken in the 6 years after the plan's publication. It will also capture ongoing maintenance works and other flood risk management actions given all organisations involved in the plan's production have existing responsibilities for FRM.
No. For the first time we are adopting an approach which tries to understand and tackle flooding at its source, not just wait for flooding to happen and respond. We need to have co-ordinated national plans to help reduce overall flood risk and do this in a sustainable and cost effective way which will stand the test of time.
The mapping of flooding is a changing process and the flood maps will be subject to review and alteration as we develop our mapping techniques.
The FRM Planning process is carried out on the basis of planning cycles and new developments in how risks are assessed and modelled can influence the next planning cycle.
There will be a transition process between the use of the data from the "Indicative River and Coastal Flood Map" and the new Flood Hazard and Flood Risk maps. We anticipate ongoing use of the Local Authority held datasets of the indicative map for a number of months through this transition phase.
We will hold regional workshops with Planning Authorities in 2014 and provide further advice and guidance to Planning Authorities about the new data and its use.
No. In many cases NFM measures will be implemented alongside more traditional engineered solutions as part of a package of "catchment-wide" flood management options. In some cases it may be more cost effective to implement and it could provide other environmental and social benefits, such as improved water quality and habitats.
The concept of NFM has been around for many years but it is true that scientific evidence, particularly of the flood risk reduction effects of these measures at a large scale, is limited. While such measures alone will not protect communities during a major flood event, evidence from projects in the UK and internationally show that NFM measures, such as wetlands, floodplain reconnection and coastal realignment, can work at a local scale and reduce the flood risk to communities during smaller, more frequent, flood events.
NFM measures can also be used alongside more traditional hard engineering methods to complement them and to extend their life. This is particularly important in the face of climate changes. Therefore, NFM can be seen as one of the tools available to combat flooding.
The Scottish Government is working with a wide range of partners to develop a robust scientific evidence base to improve our understanding of how much these measures can contribute to reducing flood risk.
It is unlikely that NFM measures alone will protect communities during a major flood event. However, they can help reduce the flood risk to communities during smaller more frequent flood events. NFM measures will often be implemented along with other flood alleviation measures such as flood warning, flood awareness raising or traditional engineering.
It is unlikely but it could occur. Considerable work is being undertaken to review and evaluate NFM techniques to increase our knowledge about which NFM measures will work and where. Sharing knowledge and further investment into NFM research will prevent measures being used where they could increase flood risk.
This depends on the measure. Measures that can be implemented in their final form such as building a large woody debris dams or re-meandering a straightened river will have an immediate effect on local flows. Conversely, measures that take time to develop into their final form, such as planting trees, will have a significant lag time between inception and realisation of the benefits of slower run-off rates and increased infiltration in these areas.
Under the FRM Act, local authorities are required to work together with Scottish Water and SEPA to manage flood risk for a whole catchment and produce local FRM plans. Between them they will agree the most sustainable options for that catchment and how the measures will be implemented and paid for. The public and all stakeholders will be consulted as part of the process. Local authorities will then work with landowners to implement works on the ground.
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