Soft Engineering

Soft Engineering

1. Afforestation

   • +Increased interception storage
   • +reduces runoff
   • +Holds soil together(improves quality) to reduce silting up the channel
   • +Cheap
   • -Time consuming
   • -Soil disturbance during planting causes more run off initially
   • -Trees take a long time to mature (delayed advantages)

2. Contour Ploughing

   • +Reduces run off
   • +Reduces soil loss
   • -Relatively small impact
   • -Less effective during heavy rainfall
   • -Reguarly has to be replowed

3. Flood Proofing

   • flood proof buildings, alter existing ones, important buildings on high land, temporary flood gates
     • -Expensive to alter existing buildings
     • -time consuming
     • -Doesn't guarantee safety( could lull people into false sense of security)
     • + Reduces harm done/costs of flooding

4. Floodplain zoning

   • uses historical records to identify most vulnerable areas
     • +impact reduced
     • +risk of flooding reduced(no impermeable surfaces built)
     • -cant re site existing buildings
     • -The expansion of urban areas is limited

5. Flood Prediction/Warning

   • + Allows for action to be taken prior to flood
   • +Reduce likelihood of damage/injuries
   • +Cheap
   • -Doesn't prevent flooding or most damage
   • -inacurate predictions
   • -Can increase insurance costs in high risk areas

6. Naturalisation

   • Restoration of rivers closer too original course (removal of hard engineering)
     • -Expensive
     • -Can still lead to large floods often affecting farmland or commercial developments
     • -Is long term gain adequate compensation for people affected by this?
     • +Allows land to flood naturally and soak up excess water reducing flashy nature of floods
     • +Bank edge planting and willows are cheaper alternative than metal concrete to support erosion prone bans

7. Wetlands

   • Areas deliberately allowed to flood
     • +other valuable areas are safe
     • +Natural:wildlife can thrive
     • -Doesn't prevent flooding