Risk of Flooding

Risk of Flooding
Here are the two relevant maps from the Department of the Environment. The website is http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
but it has been very busy. Green is below high water. Blue as on the Rife at Ferring and Durrington is potential river flood. Both these are advisory rather than an expectation of imminent danger. Problems are only likely if there is an extreme failure of the seawall or river banks.

Flood in Sea Place
At 12 noon on Sunday, water was gently cascading through the road surface at the bottom of Sea Place, just south of its junction with Eirene Road. A flood was starting to develop in the road and on the green by Baloos and the Yacht Club compound. Southern Water say it was a burst water main. As if they have not had enough grief in this area.
Trant, the contractor that carried out the Wallace Avenue/Gerald Road drainage project has been complimented by neighbours for their tidy work, consideration for residents, and for leaving the contractors compound at the yacht club so neat. It is now available for parking boats.

Sea Place drainage project starts Work has started on an emergency project to lengthen the outfall pipe on the beach at Sea Place, Goring to help prevent flooding. Outfalls allow rainwater to flow out to sea during rainy weather, and have been prone to blocking by shingle. The outfall is being lengthened by up to 12m and will be fitted with marker beacons, grills and turned ends for increased safety. Timber supports have already been put in place, using a drilling rig. (Argus 19 Nov 02)

Surveyors working in the Goring Gap
Surveyors have been retained by WBC to check the levels of the land in the Goring Gap with a view to improving the drainage. The Council states that the threat was chiefly to gardens along Aldsworth Avenue. In view of the clay soil which does not let the water penetrate, and severe flooding from surface water in the whole of this area last winter it will be interesting to see what they will do about it.
(12 Sept 01)

Two inches of rain in 20 minutes
Walkers and picnickers on Goring seafront got soaked to the skin as monsoon weather hit the town at 2.23pm on Saturday. Central Worthing was flooded, in some places up to two feet deep. The Fire Brigade had 50 calls for help in 20 minutes.
(Argus 12 Aug 02)

Flood prevention in the River Riffe
The Environment Agency have had machines at work, first to cut the grass and now to clear the weeds from the River Riffe. There is also a new water-flow measurement structure near the iron bridge in Ferring - the depth of water over a known slope of known width gives an accurate measure of the water flowing down the river. We hope for a little less rain than last winter, but this year we shall at least be able to measure the problem as it flows from the ponds in Durrington through Goring and on down to the sea at Ferring.
Interestingly, they only clean one side of the river at a time in order to give the voles time to move their nests.

Very high spring tide
There is always a concern when there is a very high spring tide. If there is a south-west gale as well then it is time to start moving your belongings upstairs; it is only a question of time before the sea-wall is breached even here. Hightide today (Tuesday) was at 1.52pm 6.8m and passed off uneventfully. The wind speed was only 13mph and it was a wonderful sunny afternoon with temperature in the 70's. The Beach Patrol checked that all was well! There were not many swimmers today as some seaweed has arrived.
(21 Aug 01)

Floods in the Goring Gap
The floods continue in the Goring Gap. This photo was taken on 23 March 2001 and shows the sort of area on which Prowtings are proposing to build 440 houses. Building houses here is not a good idea.

Waste Water in The Rife
Southern Water was forced to dump "extremely weak sewage" into the The Rife to relieve pressure on the drains. The Rife starts in Durrington which has had some flooding problems, across the cabbage patch which will be interesting if they eventually get to build houses there, and down through Ferring to the sea at the Bluebird Cafe. Dogs have been warned not to swim in it. It always is a bit muddy, now it is a bit smelly too. Not good.
(Worthing Herald 18 Jan 01)

Urgent Flooding Threat
South-west gale-force winds plus very high tides threatened Sussex and Kent over the Christamas and New Year holidays. The tidal surge was the greatest ever seen here, and the waves at one time were 20 feet high. Considerable damage has been done to the foreshore, and there have been breaches of the sea wall at the usual places, and the swans were swimming at Marine Drive.
And by the year 2050, the sea will have risen by 34 to 50 cm - up to 20 inches. Areas at threat are the caravan park at Selsey, the whole of East Head at Chichester Harbour, but also the whole coast between the River Adur and the River Arun. So the Department of the environment will start work soon to raise the sea wall and the banks of the two rivers by a couple of feet.
(West Sussex Gazette 25 Nov 99)