This year will go down as an award winning year for the Environment Agency which picked up its second award for the River Quaggy Flood Alleviation Scheme & Chinbrook Meadows, in Manchester, last night.

The flood scheme, in south-east London, won the Natural Environment category in the 2007 Waterways Renaissance Awards. Last month the same scheme won the Living Wetlands Award, run jointly by the RSPB and the Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management (CIWEM).

The Waterways Renaissance Awards, run by The Waterways Trust and BURA (British Urban Regeneration Association), recognises best practise in sustainable development, regeneration and education throughout the UK.

John Craven OBE, presenter of BBC1's Countryfile and Vice President of the Waterways Trust, announced the winners at a prestigious ceremony at the Imperial War Museum North, in Manchester last night (Wednesday March 21).

Like many of the capital's rivers the River Quaggy was lost underground, as it was put into a channel under Sutcliffe Park, in Greenwich in the 1960s.

But the Environment Agency has brought the river back above ground, allowing it to flow through Sutcliffe Park and reduce the risk of flooding in Lewisham and Greenwich.

As part of the scheme the featureless playing fields in the park were lowered and shaped to create a floodplain where water could collect during a flood instead of rushing downstream to flood Lewisham town centre. The park's flood storage capacity measures 85, 000 cubic meters of water - equivalent to 35 Olympic swimming pools.

By reconnecting the river to its natural course, and creating the flood storage areas the scheme has created an amazing wetland environment. Both Sutcliffe Park and Chinbrook Meadows have become a valued recreational area for local residents who now enjoy the paths and boardwalks, which pass through the reedbeds, wildflower meadows and trees.

Ian Tomes, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, said: "The Chinbrook Meadows and River Quaggy flood alleviation scheme are truly award winning projects. They have reduced the flood risk to 600 homes and businesses in Greenwich and Lewisham and created a wonderful environment for wildlife and people. This shows what can be done in reducing flood risk and creating enormous environmental recreational benefit at the same time. We are very proud of it, and thrilled that it has been recognised in this way by the Waterways Trust and BURA. Our challenge is to find other locations where we can do this again."

Roger Hanbury, Chief Executive of The Waterways Trust, said: "The modern renaissance of our waterways is transforming the environment, creating education and business opportunities, injecting new life into areas and bringing communities together. As the winner in the Natural Environment category, the River Quaggy Flood Alleviation Scheme & Chinbrook Meadows is properly recognised as exemplary and we hope its success will inspire and encourage others to do the same."