Date published 23 February 2021

With flooding events on the increase, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has completed a £700,000 improvement to a flood scheme that protects people in 41 properties in west Wales.

The flood storage area at Pont y Cerbyd, Pembrokeshire holds back floodwaters, which threaten the nearby villages of Middle Mill and Solva.

The flood scheme improvements include a new 50 metre-long spillway, a new overflow structure that controls the amount of water the reservoir can hold, reinforcement to the embankment to protect against erosion, and additional drainage.

Originally built in 1990 the work on the storage area was needed after several major floods had eroded part of the old spillway, making it less effective.

The two-year project included the building of a Redi-Rock freestanding wall to protect against flooding.  Made from 25%-recycled materials, the walling has an 120-year design life and requires no maintenance once installed and the natural stone appearance means it blends in beautifully with the local Welsh landscape.

With you at every step of the way, the Marshalls Civils and Drainage team offers extensive engineering, design and installation support to ensure the cost effective solution is correct for application.

Andy Irving, team leader flood incident management for NRW, said: “Protecting Wales’ communities is a vital part of our work which is why we monitor river levels all over the country 24/7 and invest millions of pounds into projects to reduce people’s flood risk.”

“The Pont y Cerbyd flood storage area helps manage flood risk to 41 properties downstream of the Solva River where levels can increase quickly in harsh weather.  Investing in improvement projects adds another level of protection for at-risk homes and businesses.”

“Combining this with our training exercises means we can continue to react to incidents quickly and efficiently.”

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