How the Thames Valley Flood Scheme works with other schemes

Managing flooding in the Thames Valley

Over the years, the number of properties and businesses within the Thames Valley has grown significantly. Many of these have been built near rivers and in areas at risk of flooding, especially before the 1990s, when planning regulations were improved to take better account of flood risk.

Thames Valley Flood Scheme is looking to complement existing and planned flood schemes, as shown on the maps below. With the expected impacts of climate change, it will be needed to work alongside and complement local flood schemes. It will do this by assessing the potential to slow and store water to reduce flood risk across the whole of the Thames Valley. The scheme also seeks to reduce flood risk for many communities where it has not been possible to have a local flood scheme.

Existing local flood schemes

The Environment Agency, councils, water companies and others have done much to manage flood risk in the Thames Valley over the last 50 years. Nowadays, people in the Thames Valley are better protected by flood defences than ever before. For example, we have built large flood alleviation schemes at Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton, Banbury, and Marlow. You can see the location of these and other flood alleviation schemes on the map below. Where appropriate we carry out watercourse maintenance and use temporary flood barriers to reduce the risk. We also reduce flood damages by warning and informing residents and businesses of the risk.

Planned local flood schemes

The Environment Agency and partners are working on new flood alleviation schemes in the Thames Valley. These are shown as orange dots and labelled with letters on the map below. They include the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme and the River Thames Scheme in the lower Thames. These will provide much needed reductions in flood risk in these areas. Thames Valley Flood Scheme is not an alternative to these community level schemes. With the expected impacts of climate change, it will be needed to work alongside and complement the local schemes.

Click on the links below to view the other project's webpages and find out more about them.

A: Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme

B: Great Shefford Flood Alleviation Scheme

C: Datchet to Hythe End Flood Improvements

D: River Thames Scheme (spans between these two locations)

E: Lower Mole Flood Alleviation Scheme

F: Sanway Byfleet Flood Alleviation Scheme

G: Fleet Flood Alleviation Scheme

H: Guildford Flood Alleviation Scheme

Responding to flooding

The Environment Agency’s forecasting, warning and informing arrangements are the best they have ever been allowing us to respond to flooding when it does occur. When we respond to flooding, we do not do it alone; we work in partnership with local authorities, fire and rescue services, police, water companies, the military and others. We plan, prepare and response together in partnerships known as Local Resilience Forums to provide a joined-up response using our combined capabilities, resources and expertise. Check if your area is at risk and learn how to prepare for flooding using our Environment Agency tool.