Energy crops and floodplain flows

Investigating the possible impact on flood risk of growing energy crops in the floodplain

• From: Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme and Environment Agency
• Published: 23 February 2021

• Category: Increasing resilience to flooding
• Topics: Adaptation, Asset performance, Ecosystem service benefits, Investment, Partnership working, Strategy and planning, Sustainability, Sustainable drainage systems, Understanding physical processes
• Project status: Completed
• Project code: SC060092
• Date of completion: 3 December 2015

Documents

Energy crops and floodplain flows - summary (68KB) PDF

Energy crops and floodplain flows - technical report (27.1MB) PDF

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Details

This study used a modelling approach to investigate the possible impact on flood risk of growing energy crops in the floodplain. Miscanthus and short rotation coppice (SRC) willow were the energy crops considered during the project.

Landowners and farmers have been encouraged to grow energy crops through grants from the Energy Crops Scheme which closed in August 2013. This has increased the area of energy crops grown in England. Little is known about the impact, if any, on flood risk in the locality and/or further afield from the planting and management of energy crops on floodplains. In certain locations, new energy crop plantations could provide a flood risk management function and additional environmental benefits.

The project investigated the possible scale of the impact of miscanthus and SRC willow plantations on river and floodplain flows, flood depth and the overall impact on flood risk locally as well as upstream/downstream.

Published 23 February 2021