A major scheme to reduce flood risk to thousands of homes and businesses on the Lincolnshire coast got underway at the weekend.
Lincshore – the Environment Agency’s £6-million flagship scheme – began on Saturday with the arrival of the dredger Breughel, one of the biggest the project team has ever used.
Mike Dugher, Environment Agency Area Coastal Manager , said: “ Lincshore aims to combat the decrease in sand levels and increased risk of flooding caused by erosion of the beach over winter.
“If the defences along the beaches which rely on the Lincshore project failed, there could be extensive damage to property and disruption to local communities. Tens of thousands of homes would be at severe risk of flooding, along with commercial and industrial properties. A number of important environmental sites would also be affected.
“Our work also benefits tourism by maintaining the beaches – without it, sand would be washed away leaving just a clay base.”
Lincshore works by increasing the level of the beach to reduce the risk of waves reaching the main defences and going over the seawalls. It protects the clay foreshore against further erosion and prevents rapid deterioration of the defences.
The project will see 512,000 cubic metres of sand pumped from licensed off-shore sites onto 20km of beach, including Boygrift, Trusthorpe, Sutton on Sea, Chapel Six Marshes, Ingoldmells, Trunch Lane, Huttoft and Moggs Eye.
Breughel, which was named after the famous Belgian Northern Renaissance painter, has a hopper capacity of 11,650 cubic metres and can carry 18,710 tonnes. It has a 1,200mm dredging pipe and can dredge at depths down to 43 metres. It also has the lowest carbon footprint in its class.
Lincshore first began in 1994 and covers beaches from Mablethorpe to Skegness. The scheme maintains protection against a one in 200 year tidal flood (0.5%) for 30,000 properties and 35,000 hectares of land.
The project is reviewed every five years to ensure it remains the best option for protecting homes and businesses from flooding. This year’s work is the second year of a five-year programme that will see £30 million spent protecting the coastline.
Lincshore offers the coast an excellent standard of protection but people living and working in coastal communities should take steps to ensure they know what to do in an emergency.
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Dredging Today Staff, April 19, 2012;