Describing the boards as “unsung heroes” in terms of mitigating flood risk, Ms Coffey said they should play a central role in whole catchment management. Some 86% of Grade 1 farmland is within areas covered by internal drainage boards. Greater sayįarmers have long argued they should be able to have more say in the way rivers are maintained – blaming the EA in some cases for failing to prevent floods. “The intention is that de-maining watercourses will start in summer 2018,” she said. “Consultations on transferring these watercourses will happen in January,” Ms Coffey told the Association of Drainage Authorities’ annual conference in London on 16 November. ![]() De-maining has been successfully trialled since last year in four pilot areas – in Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire. ![]() Ms Coffey said the guidance sets out how de-maining should take place – where there were agreed benefits – taking into account the wishes of local communities. Smaller rivers and watercourses are usually looked after by local flood authorities, district councils and internal drainage boards – whose members include farmers. At present, the EA usually undertakes maintenance, improvement and construction work on larger main rivers to manage flood risk. It follows new guidance issued by Defra minister Therese Coffey, which could see more main rivers reclassified – or “de-mained” – as ordinary watercourses. More farmers could take over flood-risk watercourse maintenance from the Environment Agency (EA), the government has suggested.
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