Rivers KQ4

Question 0

State some conflicts within river basins when they are developed?

Answer 0

Discharge of sewage - can pollute public supplies
Farmers may damage aquatic ecosystems through the application of fertilisers = eutrophication
Recreational activities and fish migration may be hindered by dam creation
Urban development may lead to increased flood risk

Question 1

What are the challenges of river basin management?

Answer 1

Knowing the nature of the resources and their status
Cost - short vs long term 
Who pays and who gains 
Political will
Ownership
Technology
Size or scale 
Time scale 
Possible wider impacts for areas beyond the basin

Question 2

What has the Environment Agency done in the english rivers?

Answer 2

Built dams
Created sediment traps
Built comcrete/stone channel walls
Channelled streams underground
Transfer water

Question 3

What 5 factors need to be considered when managing a river basin?

Answer 3

Water balance
Channel 
Land characteristics
Ecology
Human activity

Question 4

What do the River Basin Management Plans RBMP’s aim to do?

Answer 4

Protect and enhance the aquatic ecosystems
Promote sustainable water use
Supply sustainable and good quality surface and ground water
Reduce and eventually eliminate any polluting discharges and emissions
Mitigate the effects of flooding or droughts
Delimit conservation areas designed to protect habitats and species

Question 5

What is the purpose of the Catchment Flood Management Plan?

Answer 5

It helps to understand the scale and extent of flooding now and in the future
Sets up policies for managing flood risk within the catchment
Promoting more sustainable approaches to managing flood risk
Informs the stakeholders of the planning and decision making process

Question 6

Who are the stakeholders in the Catchment Flood Management Plan?

Answer 6

Environment agency 
Regional and local planning bodies
Water companies and other utilities
Transportation planners
Land owners, farmers and land managers
The public

Question 7

How big is the catchment for the river severn.

Answer 7

11,000km squared

With a population of around 2.3 million

Question 8

What are the 4 areas called that the Catchment Flooding Management Plan has split the severn basin into?

Answer 8

The Shropshire plain
The Kerry & Shropshire Hills
The Midland Plateau (incl. Iron Bridge Gorge)
Floodplain to Worcester

Question 9

What does the Severn basin contain?

Answer 9

15 conservation areas
11 national nature reserves
4 AOBS - Cotswolds

Also 1000 Historical sites eg Monuments

Question 10

What is causing the flood risk on the severn?

Answer 10

Surface water drainage
Sewage flooding
The river or its tributaries flooding

Question 11

What are the biggest settlements at risk?

Answer 11

Coventry
Leamington Spa
Warwick

Question 12

What types of infrastructure are at risk?

Answer 12

44 sewage treatment plants
19 schools
3 hospitals 
17 motorway sections
106 electrical installations

Question 13

What does the EA use the RBA for?

Answer 13

Ensure that..
Sufficient water supplies for industry, domestic, agricultural and natural environments
The water quality is also maintained
River discharge is controlled to prevent flooding or drought

Question 14

Name what the EA does for Flood Management?

Answer 14

Steep areas have been afforested to increase interception and reduce surface run off
Channel capacity has been increased
Sophisticated flood warning scheme

Question 15

How does urbanisation increase the likelihood of flooding?

Answer 15

Land is covered by impermeable concrete - reduce infiltration therefore increasing the velocity above ground = reducing lag time
Storm drains reduce the distance that the water has to travel meaning it increases the velocity
Clearing natural vegetation for housing - reduces the amount of interception and water loss
Bridges restricting the flow of the river

Question 16

What is the result of urbanisation affecting flood risk?

Answer 16

Land use planning is limiting the use of the flood plain
Some uses of the floodplain are being changed - playing fields not electricity plants
Natural vegetation be restored
Water storage being created around towns
People in vulnerable areas being advised

Question 17

State some activities that reduce the probability of floods?

Answer 17

Maintaining and improving flood defences
Maintaining river channels
Maintaining drainage networks
Maintaining road drainage and sewers

Question 18

State some activities that reduce the effects of floods?

Answer 18

Use flood risk mapping to identify areas of risk
Working with local authorities to ensure that any new developments are good with planning on the flood plain
Provide flood forecasting and warning
Promote awareness for community action

Question 19

Name some flood defences along the River Severn?

Answer 19

Timber clad sheet piles
Brick walls 
Earth embankments
Dredge the river
Creation of resevoirs / dams

Question 20

What are the issues within the Severn Basin?

Answer 20

Pollution from rural areas or waste water or towns/cities or transport
Physical modification
Changes to natural level and flow of water
Negative impacts of non native species

Question 21

Name some strategies to help relieve the issues along the River Severn?

Answer 21

Controlling the agricultural pollution
Trying to improve the rural sewage disposal
Creating new wetlands and river corridor projects
Attempting to control the escalating abstraction demands for irrigation
Managing recreational development especially in Telford

Question 22

What are some issues with the River Nile?

Answer 22

The river runs through about 8 countries meaning that building a dam will have a direct affect on rivers down or upstream

Question 23

How do they reduce the flood risk on the river nile?

Answer 23

The Aswan Dam is 1.2 km long and was opened in 1971

Built to reduce flooding, generate electricity and provide water for irrigation.

Question 24

Why was there opposition to the Aswan Dam?

Answer 24

The development of the reservoir upstream drowned many historical sites such as Abu Simbel which was moved to higher ground for preservation = 100,000 people were relocated

Question 25

How much did the construction of the Aswan Dam cost?

Answer 25

£400 million

Question 26

Describe the Aswan Dam

Answer 26

Earth dam made of impermeable clay - reduce seepage of water

Sides are concrete blocks - reduce wave erosion impacts

Question 27

Hw big is Lake Nasser?

Answer 27

500 metres deep and 10 km wide and more than 500 km long

Question 28

When does flooding normally occur?

Answer 28

Mid May to end of June

Question 29

The Aswan Dam has reduce the occurrence of floods but has caused some unforeseen effects?

Answer 29

Silt from Ethiopia containing nitrogen, phosphorus, anhydrides and potassium now all just settle in Lake Nasser meaning that farmers have to use artificial fertilisers increasing the pollution.
The reduced flow of the Nile allows the Mediterranean to wash up the Nile at the mouth causing salinisation of the soil - salt = toxic to plants after evaporation takes place crops get killed.
The banks are also being eroded by the currents.