mcp-server-environment-agency

Environment Agency Flood Monitoring MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the UK Environment Agency's Real Time Flood Monitoring API. This server allows you to access near real-time flood warnings, water level measurements, flow data, and monitoring station information.

Features

• Flood Warnings & Alerts: Get current flood warnings and alerts with severity levels
• Flood Areas: Access information about flood alert and warning areas
• Monitoring Stations: Find water level and flow monitoring stations across the UK
• Real-time Measurements: Access water levels, flows, and other measurements updated every 15 minutes
• Historical Data: Retrieve historical readings and measurements
• Geographic Filtering: Filter data by location using latitude, longitude, and distance
• No API Key Required: Uses open government data with no registration needed

Data Attribution

This server uses Environment Agency flood and river level data from the real-time data API (Beta), provided under the Open Government Licence.

Installation

npm install -g mcp-server-environment-agency

Configuration

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows

%APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "environment-agency": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-server-environment-agency"]
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Flood Warning Tools

• get_flood_warnings: Get current flood warnings and alerts
• get_flood_warning: Get details of a specific flood warning
• get_flood_areas: Get flood areas (regions where warnings may apply)
• get_flood_area: Get details of a specific flood area

Monitoring Station Tools

• get_monitoring_stations: Get monitoring stations that measure water levels, flows, etc.
• get_monitoring_station: Get detailed information about a specific monitoring station
• get_measures: Get measurement types available across all stations
• get_station_measures: Get all measurement types from a specific station

Reading Tools

• get_readings: Get measurement readings from all stations
• get_measure_readings: Get readings for a specific measurement type
• get_station_readings: Get all readings from a specific monitoring station

Usage Examples

Get Current Flood Warnings

// Get all current flood warnings
get_flood_warnings({})

// Get severe flood warnings only
get_flood_warnings({
  min_severity: 1
})

// Get flood warnings in Somerset
get_flood_warnings({
  county: "Somerset"
})

// Get flood warnings near a location
get_flood_warnings({
  lat: 51.5074,
  long: -0.1278,
  dist: 10
})

Find Monitoring Stations

// Find all stations measuring water levels
get_monitoring_stations({
  parameter: "level"
})

// Find stations near London
get_monitoring_stations({
  lat: 51.5074,
  long: -0.1278,
  dist: 25
})

// Search for stations on River Thames
get_monitoring_stations({
  search: "River Thames"
})

// Find groundwater monitoring stations
get_monitoring_stations({
  qualifier: "Groundwater"
})

Get Real-time Data

// Get latest readings from all stations
get_readings({
  latest: true,
  limit: 100
})

// Get latest flow readings
get_readings({
  latest: true,
  parameter: "flow"
})

// Get today's readings from a specific station
get_station_readings({
  station_id: "1491TH",
  today: true
})

// Get readings from the last week
get_readings({
  startdate: "2024-01-01",
  enddate: "2024-01-07",
  parameter: "level"
})

Data Types and Severity Levels

Flood Warning Severity Levels

• Severe Flood Warning: Severe Flooding, Danger to Life
• Flood Warning: Flooding is Expected, Immediate Action Required
• Flood Alert: Flooding is Possible, Be Prepared
• Warning no Longer in Force: The warning is no longer in force

Measurement Parameters

• Water Level (level): Water levels at monitoring stations
• Flow (flow): Water flow rates
• Temperature (temperature): Air temperature
• Wind (wind): Wind direction and speed

Station Types

• SingleLevel: Single water level measurement
• MultiTraceLevel: Multiple level measurements
• Coastal: Coastal monitoring stations
• Groundwater: Groundwater level monitoring
• Meteorological: Weather measurements

API Updates and Reliability

• Data is updated every 15 minutes
• The API may redirect during high load - the client follows redirects automatically
• Responses may be cached for short periods
• No service level guarantee - not suitable for safety-critical applications

Rate Limits and Best Practices

• For tracking all measurements, use a single call every 15 minutes: get_readings({ latest: true })
• Use geographic and parameter filters to reduce response sizes
• The API has built-in limits: default 500 items, maximum 10,000 for readings
• Use pagination with limit and offset parameters for large datasets

Examples of Common Use Cases

Monitor Flood Risk in an Area

// 1. Get current warnings
const warnings = get_flood_warnings({
  county: "Yorkshire",
  min_severity: 3
});

// 2. Find nearby monitoring stations
const stations = get_monitoring_stations({
  lat: 53.8008,
  long: -1.5491,
  dist: 20,
  parameter: "level"
});

// 3. Get latest readings
const readings = get_readings({
  latest: true,
  lat: 53.8008,
  long: -1.5491,
  dist: 20
});

Track a Specific River

// Find stations on River Severn
const stations = get_monitoring_stations({
  river_name: "Severn"
});

// Get latest readings from all Severn stations
const readings = get_readings({
  latest: true,
  station_reference: "station_ref_from_above"
});

Historical Analysis

// Get a week of data for analysis
const historical = get_readings({
  startdate: "2024-01-01",
  enddate: "2024-01-07",
  parameter: "level",
  sorted: true,
  limit: 1000
});