Flood gates along the River Ness are to close next week as a part of a training exercise.
The River Ness flood alleviateion scheme includes 12 gates as well as the more obvious walls and embankments.
Usually the gates remain open to allow access at key locations but they will shut for about two hours next week as part of training involving Highland Council and Sepa.
Two of the gates are on either side of the Greig Street footbridge and the closure of these will block the crossing from around 11am on Wednesday, September 28.
Objectives of the exercise are to demonstrate The Highland Council’s and SEPA’s operating procedures for responding to coastal and river flood events and how they trigger activation of Inverness Flood Alleviation Scheme.
Sepa is responsible for providing a flood warning and forecasting service within Scotland, and the council, emergency services and the general public can receive flood alerts and warnings direct.
Richard Brown, head of hydrology at Sepa said: “This joint training exercise is an excellent example of strong partnership working. Using our state-of-the-art flood forecasting systems along the Moray Firth and River Ness enables Sepa to work closely with local authorities and emergency responders during flood events to ensure people are informed and protected.”
City provost Councillor Helen Carmichael added: “It will be interesting to see the floodgates put into action and it is good to be working proactively in partnership with Sepa and other agencies to prevent flooding and protect our communities.”
“The Highland Council would like to thank the public and businesses for their patience during this training exercise. It is vital that both organisations rehearse and refine the procedure for operating the flood scheme to ensure the people of Inverness are protected.”
