The river landscape
When we look at a river, we rarely consider that one small river channel has to drain a huge landscape area. The Uck river catchment covers an area of 104km² with approximately 315km of river running through it, and water from a land area of approximately 73.5km² flowing under the bridge at Uckfield.
People affect the river a great deal between its source in the hills to its confluence with the River Ouse below Isfield. We have put in drains, have increased water abstraction and further expanded the amount of housing and industrial areas throughout the catchment. Each of these factors and many more, have had a big impact on how the river works, and also the volume and quality of water arriving at the bottom of the catchment.
The Trees on the River Uck project hopes to use natural interventions such as the creation of floodplain woodland, to slow down floodwater. This can be used to stagger and delay water entering the river at any one time, helping to reduce flood peaks, and the slowing the speed at which floodwater travels.
People affect the river a great deal between its source in the hills to its confluence with the River Ouse below Isfield. We have put in drains, have increased water abstraction and further expanded the amount of housing and industrial areas throughout the catchment. Each of these factors and many more, have had a big impact on how the river works, and also the volume and quality of water arriving at the bottom of the catchment.
The Trees on the River Uck project hopes to use natural interventions such as the creation of floodplain woodland, to slow down floodwater. This can be used to stagger and delay water entering the river at any one time, helping to reduce flood peaks, and the slowing the speed at which floodwater travels.