Watershed flooding projects given £54,125 worth of awards

West Sussex County Council has approved its first batch of Operation Watershed applications over the summer.

Awards worth £54,126 have been granted to help West Sussex communities prepare themselves against flood risk.

The county council has made £500,000 available for 2017/18 to help mitigate flood risks.

Community groups, volunteer groups, town and parish councils within West Sussex are all welcome to apply to the Operation Watershed Active Community Fund for help.

The criteria used to assess applications are as follows: it addresses recognised surface or groundwater flooding issues; it has strong community support; it demonstrates vale for money; and it will realise benefits to the community.

Bob Lavzer, West Sussex County Council’s cabinet member for infrastructure and highways, said: “Operation Watershed is up and running once again for those community projects that protect people and properties from the risks of surface water and ground water flooding.

“Thousands of homes have already been protected from potential surface water or groundwater flooding and other flood related issues thanks to Operation Watershed over the years, and there will be plenty more to benefit this year.

“The first five schemes all met our criteria for help, and clearly demonstrate how communities want to help themselves and take responsibility for flood risk in their areas.”