The £45 million Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) is one of the largest river flood defense schemes in the country.
It will see major construction work along the River Aire in the city center and Holbeck extending 4.3km between Leeds train station and Thwaite Mills.
The scheme includes the installation of innovative movable weirs at Crown Point and at Knostrop that can be lowered in flood conditions to reduce river levels and the threat of river flooding. This is the first time that these movable weirs will have been installed in the UK.
The main construction works started in January 2015 and the project end date is March 2017.
The defenses will provide the city center and over 3,000 homes and 500 businesses with protection against flood events from the River Aire and the Hol Beck. It will also protect 300 acres of development land and open up key regeneration opportunities in the South Bank area. The scheme will also help safeguard 22,000 jobs over the next 10 years and create 150 jobs and apprenticeships to work on the project.
Initial work on the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme saw defenses constructed at Woodlesford during 2014, providing residents with protection against a one in 200 year flood event from the River Aire.