THE Wonastow Flood Alleviation Scheme at Drybridge Community Park, which will hopefully solve all the flooding problems in that area, has been given its official launch. The £1.8million flood defence system was opened by the Chairman of Monmouthshire County Council, Chris Woodhouse, who thanked everyone involved in the project. "Plans for this system were laid almost a year ago and it's very nice to see completion" he said. "There are many people to thank, but I would especially like to mention residents Derek Matthews and John Pearson. They and many other residents have had their lives blighted for a series of time by the horror of flooding, and the work they've put in is priceless for this new scheme." Counc Woodhouse also thanked the contractors for doing a "first class job", and praised the Council's own officers and the Welsh Assembly for their dedication in light of a lack of finance. The aim of the scheme is to protect properties in the Drybridge Street and Wonastow Road area of the town that have suffered heavy flooding and prolonged rainfall on several occasions in recent years, notably in 2002. The main works involved the construction of a pumping station to draw water from the Drybridge community pond when levels in the river Monnow blocked the outfall of the Wonastow Brook. Other works involved improvements to the existing watercourse and individual property protection systems for a small number of houses not protected by the scheme. Cabinet Member, County Councillor Robert Greenland echoed similar sentiments to Counc Woodhouse, and also praised the Environment Agency for their assistance and co-operation with the project. He said: "Now that the main works have been completed, the scheme will provide a significant improvement to the quality of life for those residents at risk from flooding. This is very good news for Monmouth Town." Dean & Dyball were the main contractors for the works, which was designed and supervised by Atkins consultants. A spokesman for Dean and Dybell also praised the building and design of the system, and spoke of his enjoyment at working with everyone involved on the project. "The scheme ticks all the right boxes, and is sympathetic with the environment in its design. Of course sometimes you can forget the people at the sharp end of the job who actually had to put the work in, so I think it's important that we acknowledge them and thank them for all their hard work. We must not forget these people." The Welsh Assembly Government has financed 85% of the overall scheme and the remaining funding is from Monmouthshire County Council, who promoted and oversaw the the progression of the scheme. Flodef, specialists in the field, were employed by the County Council to carry out the works - they used a method providing a box containing a skirt on a roller, which is located on the clay layer on the outside of the property wall. Support posts fill up with compressed air to provide a seal between sections; the skirt is then raised to ensure that no flood water can enter into the house. Monmouthshire MP David Davies said he was delighted to be present at the opening of such an important development, which had been needed for so long, and labelled the scheme as "absolutely fantastic." He said: "I'm so pleased that we can finally put this project to bed and continue working with others to give due care and attention to other areas of the County that need it. "This is a truly historic day for Monmouthshire and, on behalf of the many families who have suffered flooding misery, I thank everyone involved from the bottom of my heart.".
