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Canvey Island is very low lying with ground levels nearly two metres below the daily high tide level in the Thames estuary. This means that the entire Island is at risk of tidal flooding which could impact more than 15,000 residential properties. This risk is managed by 14 miles (23km) of tidal defences which provide a very high standard of protection and were built in response to the last tidal flood event to impact the Island in 1953.
There are no natural streams or rivers on Canvey Island. Instead, the Island has a complex and interlinked network of surface water sewers, open and culverted ditches, ponds, and pumping stations. Rainfall runoff is collected and channeled to the pumping stations and gravity outfalls around the edge of the Island and pumped or drained out to the Thames estuary. Flooding can occur if the amount of rain falling is greater than the capacity of the entire drainage network. This last happened on: