WET News

OCTOBER 2016 WET NEWS 25 PUMP HIRE & SALES SERVICE & REPAIRS DE- WATERING MONITORING & CONTROL OVER PUMPING PUMP STATIONS Option 1 PUMP HIRE & SALES SERVICE & REPAIRS DE- WATERING MONITORING & CONTROL OVER PUMPING PUMP STATIONS Option 1b THE CONCEPT • Natural flood risk management (NFM) deploys natural measures across a whole river catchment • IA key component is allowing identified areas to flood in order to decrease the flood risk elsewhere • NFM plans are tailored to specific areas using expert and local knowledge. NEED TO KNOW 1 The government has promised £3bn in flood defences from 2015 to 2021 2 Surface water run-off can be managed better in an urban environment 3 The government has refused to make SuDS mandatory in new developments as yet THE VERDICT "At a time of unprecedented risk from climate change, the time is right to bring forward and balance investment across natural and sustainable flood measures, working alongside pre-agreed flood defence commitments" Mike Streetly, water group director, ESI The review missed the key (and less controllable) issue of surface water flooding. Just in the past few weeks' incidents in London, Manchester, Didcot Parkway railway station, dem- onstrated how quickly existing drainage cannot deal with sudden, localised inundations that can happen anywhere at any time. Traditionally, storm sewers are designed to drain water as quickly as possible to a water course. Many are Victorian in age and lack the capacity to deal with the sudden volume. Inevitably backing up and flooding streets, residential and commercial property. Surface water run-off can be managed better in an urban environment and there are plenty of good examples of Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) implementation to help mitigate the speed of this sudden flow. But government has refused to make SuDS mandatory in new developments as yet, pre- ferring to fall back on guidance provided by Lead Local Flood Authorities, who can review planning applications for major developments and apply condi- tions accordingly. This has delayed their wider roll-out as a key part of local surface flood mitigation and one that would do much to reduce the intensity of flood events into the rivers that seem to get the government's attention. Rivers cause sudden, short term and the most obvious impacts to human life, which is naturally the government's first priority. However, groundwater, also missed in the National Flood Review, leaves a much longer legacy to property and infrastructure, as flood waters stay for longer, can easily re- occur and infiltrate sewers causing health concerns. Flood systems are complex animals. You cannot attribute river flooding in isolation as the sole cause to any event. Ground- water is a key background sig- nature to many UK flood inci- dents. The rainfall volumes that lead to the extensive Thames Valley 2015 flooding were not extraordinary, but the subse- quent height and length of the flooding was as a result of a high groundwater signature that pushed river and catch- ment levels to record highs. And yet it remains the least understood, the least managed of all flood risks, to the general public, insurers and asset managers. Flood management is about whole catchment management. ESI has been at the forefront of groundwater modelling, flow and catchment analysis for more than 20 years. Its sister company, GeoSmart, is working with property professionals, insurers and authorities to better integrate flood risk from all sources, together with drainage conditions for more holistic analysis. As well as better data modelling and site risk assessment, what imaginative, natural solutions are available to reduce the traditional flood barrier approach that does little to "slow the flow"? Rather than moving the problem elsewhere, would it not be better to tackle flood risk at source? view, to be published in Spring 2017, that is likely to push again for this to happen. The 2010 Act created Lead Local Flood Authorities to scru- tinise and set local standards, so that the development does not exacerbate flooding else- where. This can play a more ef- fective role in managing sur- face water run off as close to its source as possible. The less flowing into traditional drain- age to water courses, the less flashy water discharge into riv- er channels. GeoSmart has developed a national SuDS infiltration map that provides property profes- sionals with clear guidance on site conditions for SuDS suita- bility. This helps them engage with planning authorities to make sure that flood risks can be mitigated through appropri- ate SuDS measures on site. At a time of unprecedented risk from climate change, the time is right to bring forward and balance investment across natural and sustainable flood measures, working alongside pre-agreed flood defence com- mitments. Minimising flood im- pact on human activity and in- frastructure is the key objective. Property and asset managers can use better data to make more informed decisions that deliver an integrated flood management plan that works with and not against the envi- ronment. Mike Streetly is water group director at ESI. 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