Moray Council agrees £275,000 to fight flooding in Garmouth
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Prevention measures costing up to £275,000 have been agreed in principle for a Moray village hit by flooding 11 times in the last year.
Garmouth has experienced flooding from the Spey for many years, but the number of times it is happening now has increased rapidly because of erosion to the river bank.
Moray Council agreed yesterday to place a low-level rock armour bund at the disused railway embankment at a cost of up to £125,000.
In addition, up to £150,000 will be spent on planting willow and burying fallen trees with their root balls exposed to create a natural barrier when the river overtops.
However, no money has yet been set aside to finance the work.
Councillor David Bremner (Fochabers/Lhanbryde, SNP) said: "It’s not an option to do nothing. We can’t go down that route.
He also advocated looking into the possibility of using concrete tetrapods to prevent erosion along the river bank.
Tetrapods, which can be fitted together, are cast in moulds and, once purchased, could be used for other flood-hit areas.
Cllr Marc Macrae (Fochabers/Lhanbryde, Conservative) said: "It’s a fickle beast the River Spey.
"There’s been a long history of flooding in Garmouth.
"Up until 2007 there was one flood event every six years, that went up to one event every year or so.
"But in the last 12 months Garmouth has been flooded 11 times. That’s something we can’t ignore.
"Residents have hardly dried their homes then they are flooded again and again.
"Can we really sit back and expect these households to be flooded 11 times in 12 months?"
About 10 homes and four businesses with Garmouth are regularly affected by the floods.
Acting on its own initiative Innes Community Council commissioned CBEC Eco Engineering, an Inverness-based water specialist, to examine what measures could be undertaken to reduce the risks of floods.
The firm subsequently compiled a report.
This recommended spending £80,000 on positioning felled trees at strategic points upstream from where the Spey floods.
This, it advised, would encourage the main path of the river to head eastwards, away from Garmouth.
However, Debbie Halliday, Moray's consultancy manager, told the meeting the report by CBEC Eco Engineering required further details regarding both design and cost.
Instead members of Moray Council yesterday agreed in principal to spend £275,000 on the bund and its own tree felling and planting.
It will also look at the feasibility of using tetrapods, with a further report coming back before councillors.
