BASHING balsam, botanical surveys and backing blanket bogs are just some of the ways a £112,000 funding boost will be used to develop flood alleviation in Calderdale.

New projects using nature to help reduce flood risk will soon be able to start thanks to the cash given by Calderdale Council and the Environment Agency.

With three major floods in eight years, flooding is a significant ongoing risk in Calderdale which has large areas of moorland and steep-sided valleys, with climate change having an increasing impact, said the council’s Cabinet member for Climate Change, Coun Scott Patient.

One part of the ongoing Calderdale Flood Action Plan which aims to look at the whole catchment from moor top to valley bottom is Natural Flood Management (NFM) which involves improving management of the landscape to help reduce flood risk, such as developing ponds and ditches, planting trees and restoring moorland.

Horse power used on Harden Moor to cut flooding

One of the aims is to reduce the impact of heavy rain by slowing water run-off through the valley, meaning rivers and streams can cope better with extra rainwater and are less likely to overflow.

The money has come from the council and EA’s joint £1 million NFM fund which was approved by the Calderdale Flood Partnership Board.

Successful projects chosen include a rust fungus trial aimed at combating growth of the invasive Himalayan Balsam which denudes river banks of vegetation, a study exploring the potential to extend clough woodland and NFM methods into wider areas of land, botanical surveys and engagement with landowners to identify new areas for tree planting and assessing blanket bogs to recommend actions to improve resilience.

Coun Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said: “Natural flood management is making a vital contribution in the borough, and continues to be an important part of the whole package of flood risk reduction and resilience measures alongside hard engineering works.

“We are delighted to support more of these enterprising natural methods, and continue to be extremely grateful to the many community volunteers who are helping to deliver these schemes.”

NFM work already successfully completed includes grants to landowners to introduce NFM measures on their land. The work includes “leaky” dams which slow water down, planting trees and hedges, building attenuation ponds and developing cross-contour bunds which slow down and divert water flowing over fields.