I think the folk of Ballater were really unfortunate on the 30th. That one really was a Biblical event.
However, how many times have we seen the river over the road at Kintore? Every winter, and yet more houses go in, more development and drainage upstream increasing the issue, and Ben driving too fast through the puddles!
Am I right in thinking Inverurie has been flooded in the last 10 or so years? With all that new development up on the Urie, there must be increased pressure on the river.
As for Grandholme Village...that area was flooded many times when the old mill was there...yet they went ahead and built.
Exactly!
More concrete, more run off = higher water.
I have fished the Dee in the Banchory area for the last three years now and one year it rained hard whilst I was fishing down stream of a drainage outflow. The outflow looked like a dam release pipe and the water was "hosing" straight out ten feet into the river. Hill of Banchory development alone has increased the water height dramatically and in turn this has affected everyone down stream.
Developers just want the water away from their new builds and don't seem to care where it goes. Except for the new builds in Bucksburn above the dual carriageway to the airport. That developer, even though the area was on a slope, managed to add in a dip at the bottom of the main drive which filled with water and flooded the occupants that had only moved in two weeks previously. Common sense is apparently not as common as it used to be....
As you said Rob, Ballater was just unlucky, but FFS stop building houses right on rivers and then wondering why your carpets are wet.