The Environment Agency will have a new strategic overview role for all forms of flood risk, including groundwater and surface water for which no body has previously been clearly responsible. The Environment Agency will lead and co-ordinate the planning and management of all sources of flood risk while retaining operational responsibility for main rivers and coastal flooding. The Environment Agency will work closely with local authorities on their on-the-ground management of surface water flooding so comprehensive assessments of local flood risk will be possible for the first time. The rest of Section two gives an overview of the approach to flood.
