After extensive public consultation including a public display, a fully designed scheme was promoted in terms of the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961 and Planning Permission was also obtained for the Portpatrick Flood Prevention Scheme in 2003.

Client: Dumfries and Galloway Council Project Value: £1.2M Completion Date: 2004

The preferred scheme which is designed for a 1:200 year event involved temporary storage of floodwater by bringing back into use the former water supply reservoir and the construction of a new dam further down the catchment. Both are designed to retain flows above the modelled 1:25 year event. Within the village a bridge deck was replaced to improve capacity, new floodwalls and various river training works constructed and trash screens installed. Higher river flows have been designed to by-pass a section of steep embankment through 125m of 1050mm diameter pipe. This pipe obviated the need to carry out floodwall provision at a very restricted location.

Slope stabilisation was carried out on one of the Dinvin Burn tributaries to reduce potential flooding caused by sediments. The work involved installation of a gabion basket cascade with geotextiles and hydroseeding of the side slopes.

Construction work commenced in February 2004 with an estimated six-month contract period. The difficulty of supervising nineteen separate items of work varying in complexity spread over a 2km was equalled only by the of necessity of the high quality public relations needed to ensure smooth completion of a scheme which had some items of work carried out in private gardens and major works on the only road into the village. Elements of the scheme within the Conservation Area also offer significant environmental and aesthetic enhancement.

Part funding was acquired for the scheme from the Scottish Executive, the remainder from Council Capital Funding.