A SCHEME to map all of Ross-on-Wye’s drainage networks in the face of more severe predicted downpours is being undertaken by Herefordshire Council.

Ross Liberal Democrat Councillor Ed O’Driscoll put a motion to fellow members for the council to accurately map the county’s drains, gullies and culverts, to urgently repair those that are damaged, and prepare a publicly available schedule of their future maintenance.

“We are going to have to deal with heavier rain in the coming years”, he said. “Every delay in addressing drainage issues will cost us more in the future, financially and in human terms.”

The county must first ‘maximise what we already have’, he said. “How can we organise a maintenance schedule when we don’t know where everything is?”

Members from all parties backed Cllr O’Driscoll’s motion, which passed unanimously.

Cllr O’Driscoll told Ross Town Council at its meeting on Monday, that this motion is very important to the town and said: “It has become evident the local authority does not know where all the drains and culverts are. A definitive map will be produced to enable a proper management schedule to be produced.

“Councils like Hertfordshire have an online facility where homeowners can examine the drains outside their property and see when it was cleaned and when its next due for maintenance. I want this for Ross and Herefordshire as a county.”

The town council was told that the rainfall in Ross for September was recorded at 211mm, the highest in the town since records began in 1930.

Cllr O’Driscoll added: “This amount of rain is only going to get heavier in time and therefore it is essential that a maintenance schedule for the inspection of the drainage system is put in place to combat any future heavy downpours.

“I also want to ensure that the areas that are most at risk of flooding are prioritised for maintenance. This includes the frequency and the quality of these works as the quality up to now has been questionable with different work practices being undertaken. A consistency is required across the board.”

The town council heard that a meeting had been held between various bodies concerned with the sewage and water works in the town and it has been accepted that there is a broken drain, culvert or sewer in the Aldi area of Brookend Street, which is being investigated and will be repaired accordingly when the affected pipework is located.

The town council were told that Welsh Water have become very concerned that a manhole cover was being lifted in Brookend Street during the most recent flood incident and suggested that the town’s infrastructure cannot cope with the volume of water it is being expected to take.

Welsh Water will be carrying out a complete modelling exercise of the sewage system with a view to modifications and improvements being carried out to increase the capacity.

Cllr O’Driscoll said: “This is very important due to expected increase of additional housing the town is being asked to build over the coming years.”

Cllr Louis Stark pointed out: “Every time we have a storm that ends up flooding the town, sewage is pumped into the River Wye, which is suffering its own pollution problems.”

The meeting between all the organisation involved suggested the implementation of volunteer flood wardens, who could help out in an emergency with road closures, the provision of sandbags and other measures. There is funding for training for this proposal.

Cllr Stark said that the whole sewage system needs an overhaul and unless Welsh Water look to locate where the faults are, “We will always have issues with it, This is why we need a systematic approach to the problem,” he said.

Cllr Julian Utting observed: “The sewage treatment centre for the town is already at capacity, and this is not taking into account the proposed development of an additional 1,800 homes that the town is expected to build.”