Rothes Flood Alleviation Scheme
Rothes has a long history of flooding. On numerous occasions, properties have been flooded from a combination of the Back Burn, the Burn of Rothes and the Black Burn.
The £25 million Rothes Flood Alleviation scheme was carried out to alleviate flooding from these burns. The works were completed in May 2011 and £2.4 million under budget.
A flood event on August 2014 tested the scheme. It is estimated that the Scheme prevented flooding to around 200 residential and 18 commercial properties, avoiding damages of around £6.5 million.
The works comprised of
- Channel widening
- Replacement of existing bridges
- Reinforced concrete flood walls and mini-piled foundations
- Earthworks embankments
- Bank protection works to prevent future scour.
The works were programmed to suit various environmental constraints, including salmon spawning.
The scheme provides a standard of flood protection of at least 1 in 100 years plus an allowance for climate change.