Concrete channels didn't stop the flooding, they just moved it quickly down river. In 1989, it was suggested that the channels were made larger and longer. But there was an alternative: let the river flood safely in some open spaces. Floodwater could be stored and then slowly released back into the river. This method has now been adopted for our area.
Notes for teachers
Changes in patterns of rainfall are making an imaginative approach to flood risk much more important. The concept of flood storage was developed on a large scale on a section of the River Quaggy in Sutcliffe Park, Eltham. This project combines flood protection for part of the catchment with reinstatement of the river in the parkland – where it previously in flowed underground in a pipe. Major engineering is needed for a project of this size.