CONNECTED BY WATER – SOUTH YORKSHIRE’S FLOOD CATCHMENT PLAN
'Connected by Water' Initiative
Partners across South Yorkshire are working together in response to flood risk and the climate emergency on a catchment scale.
The Connected by Water Action Plan is the culmination of partners collaborating since the devastating floods of November 2019, which was one of the wettest autumns on record and led to unprecedented river levels, and widespread flooding across South Yorkshire.
Working with communities and partners, our ambition is to reduce flood risk and build climate resilience so that communities can live, work, and thrive in South Yorkshire in the face of a changing climate.
First launched in January 2022, the Plan has been updated in 2023. It now includes over 100 projects to better protect over 25,000 homes and businesses, and regionally significant infrastructure across South Yorkshire.
The Plan has been developed by a South Yorkshire alliance of organisations including the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, Environment Agency, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Sheffield City Council, and Yorkshire Water, who have been working not only to deliver flood risk management schemes on the ground, but also to plan catchment-wide measures for the future to help meet the challenges of climate change.
The Plan also highlights collaborations such as the Source to Sea Nature Based Solution Programme, comprising three projects across the upper, lower, and middle Don to implement a range of natural solutions to slow the flow and create more space for water.
A ‘living document’
Along with the key partners, around 40 supporting organisations are crucial to the delivery of this Plan. The Connected by Water Plan is a ‘living document’ which will be regularly reviewed and updated, with the number of collaborators continuing to grow.