WOCoRe is partnering with a new flood action group in South Oxford to help them manage grant funding for an innovative project. South Oxford Flood Action Group (SOFLAG) has been awarded a grant of just under £20,000 to set up a local flood monitoring system. This includes a borehole and gauge boards on local streams and ditches. Local residents will be involved in gathering data on water levels.

The funding comes from Project Groundwater, a government-financed initiative to improve management of groundwater flooding in the UK. Recipients of grants have to be formally registered bodies, and SOFLAG is an informal group. So WOCoRe will manage the funds on their behalf. SOFLAG will be able to draw them down as the project progresses.  

David Macdonald, a hydrologist and South Oxford resident who helped set up SOFLAG, said:

We plan to make data about water levels available to residents through an accessible website. We hope this will raise local awareness of how flooding happens in our community and enable people to respond more effectively.