How this Document Works

Micro-catchment Over view

Topography

The micro-catchment covers part of the urban area of Walkhampton, a small village in southwest Dartmoor, as well as several farms and an area of open moorland. The B3212 runs through the catchment from the south to the northeast towards Princetown. The micro-catchment forms the watershed for the Black Brook that begins on the moorland in the north and flows southwest through fields to Walkhampton at the catchment outlet, eventually joining the River Walkham. The total river length present is approximately 3.2km. Overall, the micro-catchment falls within the Walkhampton County Parish and is administered by Walkhampton Parish Council. The map on the right shows the steepness of slopes. Sharpitor and Peek Hill in the east on open moorland exhibit the steepest slopes and are the highest points in the catchment. These together with the moorland to the north form a bowl that funnels to a valley through the fields. Walkhampton sits at the bottom of this valley.

Micro-catchment Over view

Land Cover

The way the land is used has significant impacts on flood management. Land use has been mapped here using the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology’s (CEH) Land Cover Map 2019. This is a model derived from satellite imagery at 25m resolution. The land use here is primarily improved grassland in the centre and west, accounting for 58% of the catchment, followed by the acid grassland in the east and south that makes up the moorland, accounting for a further 34% of the catchment. There are three patches of broadleaved woodland adjacent to the Black Brook; two in the catchment centre, and one where it reaches Walkhampton. Broadleaved and coniferous woodland can be found to the south both within and just outside of the catchment boundary. It should be noted that this land cover map model is not a perfect representation of land use as it simplifies UK land cover into very broad classes.