A scheme of natural flood management works have been proposed at Post Hill.
West Leeds Dispatch understands Leeds City Council has been been working with the Environment Agency and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to develop initial plans for natural flood management in the area.
The work would focus upon reducing the amount of storm water run-off into the beck at Post Hill and also help improve the quality of the water.
News of the scheme comes just days after parts of the Ring Road – further down the beck in Wortley – flooded as Storm Ciara hit West Leeds on Sunday.
The proposed works will require the felling of a number of mature trees at two areas of Post Hill with steep-sided slopes onto the beck, one of which is near Troydale.
These trees will then be used on site to create silt traps that lay across the slope in locations where service water run-off is known to be severe.
A council letter seen by The Dispatch says:
“These silt traps are essentially low, ‘leaky dams’, that are fully secured across the slope. Storm-water run-off is slowed as it meets the ‘leaky dams’ and seeps through the gaps between the tree trunks, depositing silt on the upper side and slowing the flow of water into the beck.
“The gaps made in the tree canopy from the felling of the trees, will allow natural light levels reaching the woodland floor to increase, which will stimulate the natural regeneration of new trees, shrubs and ground flora on site, which, in turn will increase the ‘hydraulic roughness of the woodland floor and help slow the flow even more in the future.
“This work is designed to increase bio-diversity net gain as well as address local flooding and water quality issues.”
