River Eden Flashcards
Location
Cumbria, northern Penines, north-east Lake District
Source - High Seat Spring, Mallerstang
Mouth - Solway Firth
145km
Through Carlisle
Physical causes of flooding
Geology - upland areas of Lake District are igneous rock which is impermeable. Lowland areas are sedimentary - sandstone/limestone which is semi-permeable
Gradient - elevation drops from 690m at source to 180m at Kirkby Stephen, 30 km away - little infiltration
Weather/climate - surrounded by upland areas so lots of orographic rainfall
Drainage basin - Carlisle at confluence of Eden, Petteril, Caldew - linear drainage basin
Human causes of flooding
Farming - grazing means less vegetation, livestock compacts soil
Construction - 10,000 new homes on greenfield sites in Carlisle. Only 1% of Eden basin is urbanised
Deforestation - cutting down trees for timber + farmland has removed vegetation that would have intercepted rain
Social impacts of 2005 Carlisle flooding
3 people dead
70k without power for 3 days
50k homes affected
Shortage of rental properties for residents
Some victims still in temporary accommodation a year later
Economic impacts of 2005 Carlisle flooding
Estimated cost of £500m
McVities factory flooded
Council spent £2.6bn on flood defence schemes post 2005
Many family-run businesses out of business
Environmental impacts of 2005 Carlisle flooding
1200 trees fallen down
Wildlife disruption - destroyed habitats
Soil erosion - strip fertile top soil
Landscape alteration
Flood management techniques post 2005 flooding
50km of new embankments to increase capacity
Restoring 350ha of peatland to hold water for longer
Creating woody debris damns and floodplain storage ponds to slow flow
Remove gravel and debris to increase river capacity
250 water pumps, 500,000 sand bags available for emergency
Flooded again in 2015 so limited success
How does human activity affect the landscape of the river Eden
£25m embankment in Carlisle - built after 2005 - 3.6m high - causing water to flood farmland rather than urban areas
Litter at Appleby Horse Fair (pop, 3000) - 40,000 travellers visit for the fair - camp on laybys and verges - council spent £30,000 clearing it in 2017
Haweswater Reservoir - construction began in 1929, flooding 2 villages and population moving - 8km long damn raised water 30m
Hill Sheep Farming on Wild Boar Fell - 708m - land surrounding river in very steep - deforesting land to clear space for grazing, decrease interception increase run-off
Land zoning at Appleby FC - Appleby is prone to flooding due to river meandering through the town. The football club is land zoned to decrease flooding - it stores floodwater. There are flood gates to stop water floodgates to stop water flooding at Chapel Street
