Dr Nick A Chappell

C-NFM

Cumbrian NFM effectiveness monitoring network

1^st Feb 2019 to 30^th Apr 2026

This project is being delivered as part of the national DEFRA Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA) Catchment Scale programme aimed at delivering innovative Natural Flood Managment (NFM) monitoring on Catchments in Cumbria linked to the rest of the NFM programme. Natural Flood Managment is defined as anything that is or mimics 'Working with Natural Processes' (WwNP). In FCRM this means using NFM techniques to reduce flood risk and deliver multiple benefits.

For flood-affected community warning and NFM

Live data for Grange-over-Sands stream and flood bund

Live data for Stockbeck East (Birds Park) micro-basin

Live data for Keswick flood basin

For NFM effectiveness only

Live data for Flimby, Sware Gill and Keswick micro-basins

Live data for Birds Park (Kendal) and Sedbergh micro-basins

Live data for River Lowther floodplain micro-basins (Back Greenriggs, Bessy Gill, Setterah and Whale)

Live data for Upper Eden (Fallgill Sike micro-basin)

Live data for Cathwaite and Ravesgil paired micro-basins

Live data for Tebay Gill, Tebay peat and Rais Beck micro-basins

outside Cumbria:

Live data for Gib Tor NFM (Staffordshire) micro-basins

Live data for Upper Hafren (Cymru) micro-basin

The project comprises of four phases:

Phase 1 involves purchase of five additional flumes to those installed by the NERC Q-NFM project; purchase of mobile network of stand-alone water-level recorders for use in NFM features near FRPB flumes; and the purchase of Turner fluorimetry system to quantify effective storage from leaky dams or channel realignment, and check flume calibration. The flume installations purchased by this project are associated with the five communiities: (1) Windermere road, Grange-over-Sands (Eggerslack stream), (2) Flimby village (Pennygill), (3) Sedbergh north of Station Road (as stream draining Winder), (4) Old Tebay (Tebay Gill), and (5) Mallerstang (Fallsike Gill).
Phase 2 involves installation & monitoring of the equipment purchased, together with analysis of NFM-related change in rainfall-streamflow response with respect of local NFM features. Additionally, public sharing of live rainfall and streamflow data.
Phase 3 involves renewal of the telemetry licence and refurbishment of the flumes.
Phase 4 Lastly, phase 4 involves continued monitoring, analysis and data sharing from May 2021 to April 2026.

Funding sources

Environment Agency (EAA7689)

Environment Agency (EAA7689XS01 Floodplain work)

Investigators

Nick A Chappell (PI) and Field-data Technician David Mindham

Project partners

Listed alphabetically: Cumbria Wildlife Trust, Eden Rivers Trust, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission England, Lune Rivers Trust, South Cumbria Rivers Trust, Tebay Commoners, United Utilities, West Cumbria Rivers Trust, Woodland Trust, Yorkshire Dales National Park

Outputs

Mindham, D., Beven, K. and Chappell, N. 2023. Rainfall-streamflow response times for diverse upland UK micro-basins: quantifying hydrographs to identify the nonlinearity of storm response. Hydrology Research in press. doi.org/10.2166/nh.2023.115.

Beven, K., Page, T., Hankin, B., Smith, P., Kretzschmar, A. Mindham, D. and Chappell, N. 2022. Deciding on fitness-for-purpose - of models and of natural flood management. Hydrological Processes 36: e14752. view online.

Follett, E. and Hankin, B. 2022. Investigation of effect of logjam series for varying channel and barrier physical properties using a sparse input data 1D network model. Environmental Modelling and Software 158: 105543 view online.

Hankin, B., Chappell, N.A., Page, T., Beven, K., Smith, P., Kretzschmar, A. and Lamb, R. 2021. Using micro-catchment experiments for multi-local scale modelling of nature-based solutions. Hydrological Processes 35(11): e14418 view online or view paper (pdf).

Hankin, B., Page, T., McShane, G., Chappell, N., Spray, C., Black, A. and Comins, L. 2021. How can we plan resilient systems of nature-based mitigation measures in larger catchments for flood risk reduction now and in the future? Water Security 13: 100091 view online or view paper (pdf).

Wallace, E.E., McShane, G., Tych, W., Kretzschmar, A., McCann, T. and Chappell, N.A. 2021. The effect of hedgerow wild-margins on topsoil hydraulic properties, and overland-flow incidence, magnitude and water-quality. Hydrological Processes 35(3): e14098. doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14098. view online or view paper (pdf).

Chappell, N.A., 2021. Lancaster University Collaborative Visit to Lowther Estate, Cumbria. Lancaster University Facilities News, 20^th January 2021. view online.

Chappell, N.A., 2021. Can beavers help reduce flood peaks? Lancaster University Headline News, 19^th January 2021. view online.

Hankin, B., Hewitt, I., Sander, G., Danieli, F., Formetta, G., Kamilova, A., Kretzschmar, A., Kiradjiev, K., Wong, C., Pegler, S. and Lamb, R. 2020. A risk-based network analysis of distributed in-stream leaky barriers for flood risk management. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 20(10): 2567-2584. doi.org/10.5194/nhess-20-2567-2020 view online

Chappell, N.A., 2020. Interview on monitoring effects of beaver in enhancing floodplain storage at Lowther Estate, Cumbria. ITV Border, 14^th December 2020. watch online.

Chappell, N.A., 2020. Interview on value of stream monitoring to assess effects of tree planting and floodplain storage at Lowther, Cumbria. ITV Border, 11^th December 2020. watch online.

Chappell, N.A., 2020. Interview on natural interventions to reduce flood risk in Cumbria on the fifth anniversary of Storm Desmond. BBC Radio Cumbria, 4^th December 2020. listen online.

Chappell, N. and Page, T. 2020. Measuring NFM effectiveness. NERC NFM programme webinar series 3 December 2020 12:30-13:30. view webinar recording or view slides (pdf).

Chappell, N. 2020. NFM monitoring (with analysis) approaches to evidence impact. iCASP webinar series 22 June 2020 13:30-15:30. view webinar or view slides (pdf).

Twitter: @NERC_QNFM