Welsh Government must review impact of controlled release from reservoirs on recent Mid Wales floods – William Powell AM
William Powell, Rural Affairs Spokesperson, has called on the Welsh Government to fully review the potential impact of the controlled release of water from reservoirs, on the recent floods across Mid Wales.
William Powell, Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, said:
"While I appreciate the necessity to release water from reservoirs when the integrity of the dam is under threat, it is critical that the Welsh Government's flood defense plans adequately reflect this threat.
Although the scale of the recent floods is thankfully rare, the extensive damming along rural Welsh rivers means that the potential for a controlled release remains significant.
The release of water in such a way can magnify flood risks to downstream areas and increase the intensity of damage caused. As such, although extreme events may be rare climatically, the action of releasing water can cause the same results to be suffered from lesser storms.
When I recently visited the area and met with residents, many spoke of a wall of water consistent with a controlled release. In last Wednesdays National Assembly for Wales' Plenary I called on the Minister to investigate what effect these releases had in this case."