multifunctional land use - European Centre for River Restoration

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS ON FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL LAND USE IN RIVER CATCHMENTS
Reducing flood damage by constructing an overstock as planned for La Bassée allows greater flexibility
for future use of the land where water will be stored temporarily (gravel extraction, agriculture,
tourism, leisure activities, ecological zones). This flexibility is the main object of detailed compatibility
and impact studies that will be performed within the context of the SAND project.
In this respect, La Bassée is an important national and international example due to the diversity and
importance of the uses for which compatibility must be demonstrated.
2.2.2 Compiègne at the confluence of the Oise and Aisne
The Agglomération de la Région de Compiègne project is part of those measures. The project, which
is located at “Les Muids”, near the city of Choisy-au-Bac, aims to alleviate floods downstream of
Compiègne by means of temporary storage of concurrent flood peaks of the Oise and Aisne rivers. A
new extraction pit will be created for this purpose and used as a retention basin after the end of gravel
extraction. The development plan of the extraction site is presented in Figure 13.
In addition to hydrological goals, the project will also involve nature development and the improvement
of spatial quality around the basin and along the riverbanks of the Oise and Aisne rivers. Local plants
and trees will be grown on the entire site in order to guarantee ecological continuity. These plants and
trees will improve the water quality of the basin through bio-purification processes. In order to
improve runoff in the watercourses, local bush species that do not impede runoff will be selected. The
species used will be listed and submitted to land owners along the river banks to encourage them to
plant those particular species (Figure 14).
The pilot project will also involve the active participation of the public and dialogue with local persons
and groups with particular interests. A range of tools will be used to present the project to the public
and to canvass their opinions (public meetings, free-access Internet site, periodic publications).
Furthermore, steps will be taken to remind the public of flood threats, i.e. the placing of symbols at
strategic locations reached by floodwater.
Figure 13. The development plan of the Compiègne pilot area.
185