More than 2,000 homes and businesses in Great Yarmouth will be better protected from the risk of flooding after the first phase of an Environment Agency major flood defense project has been completed.
The EA has recently finished the £28 million phase of work to replace over 500 meters of tidal defenses, which reduces the risk of flooding to the Southtown and Cobham areas of Great Yarmouth.
The next stage of the project sees innovative technology, known as a Limpet Dam, being used to improve the condition of the defenses.
This is a temporary structure that allows engineers to inspect and repair the river wall in a dry environment that would otherwise be underwater. A trial has started at Berth 20, off South Quay, opposite Friar’s Lane, known as Bryant’s Wharf, and will run for the next couple of months.
Graham Verrier, Area Flood Risk Manager at the Environment Agency , said: “ The quay walls in the next phase are in a better condition than those replaced in the first phase. We are using learning from that phase and intend to rejuvenate the walls with a program of major repair and protection to reduce future corrosion. ”
This approach should provide a further 50 years of life to be gained from the defenses for an estimated 30% of the cost of replacing them – reducing the flood risk to over 2,000 homes.
The overall scheme includes 12km of flood defenses in Great Yarmouth that reduce the risk of tidal flooding from the River Yare to over 6,000 properties, including 5,000 homes.
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