The impact of a tidal barrage on coastal flooding due to storm surge in the Severn Estuary

Abstract

The proposed Severn Barrage is a controversial but widely discussed proposal to generate clean and renewable energy. A key concern with this technology is that such structures may cause other environmental problems. However, such structures might also have beneficial environmental effects in some areas, such as mitigating coastal flooding from storm surges. In this paper, we model the hydrodynamics of the Severn Barrage and surrounding area using a depth-averaged numerical model. We simulate a storm surge event based on realistic meteorological conditions coinciding with a spring tide. We find that to the east of the barrage the peak water level is significantly reduced by the barrage. To the west of the barrage, on the ocean side, the presence of the barrage leads to a small increase in the water levels during a surge event despite the reduction in the tidal amplitude. We examine different operational strategies for the barrage during a storm event—these make a small but perhaps significant difference. Overall, a barrage can help to mitigate the impact of storm surges on coastal flooding.