Washland

There are some parts of the Upper Aire catchment that flood every year. Often these carry the Norse word, Ings, meaning water meadow. Cononley Ings is one of those places.

And in working with the natural cycle of winter flooding, these flooded fields become holding areas for water to ease the flow in the urban areas further downstream. At Cononley this has included the construction of long river embankments which once overtopped hold the water in washlands, massive winter lakes.

This image captures a flooded pasture to the left, the embankment where I'm standing, the channel of the River Aire to the right and then another large expanse of flooded pasture. This part of the flood management system is doing what it's supposed to do. But in these days after Christmas it simply hasn't been enough.

And several hundred Lapwings flocked overhead.