mwh strategic flood studies
DESCRIPTION
MWH has been at the leading edge of flood risk management, contributing to the Office of Science and Technology’s Foresight Programme on Climate Change, Floods and Coastal Defenceand Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum For Environmental Research (SNIFFER). We have pioneered thinking on surface water management in urban areas, including writing CIRIA’s guidancemanual on Designing for Exceedance.TRANSCRIPT
www.mwhglobal.com
Summary
• Accesstofloodingspecialistswith
localknowledgeinbothsmalland
largescaleprojects
•Customisedsolutionsfor
individualscenarios
• Leadingindustrythinkingandaccess
toworld-wideexpertisethrough
knowledgesharingcommunities,
includingintegratedurbandrainage
issues,extremefloodevents,flood
riskassessment,consequence
modellingandmapping,SUDSand
surfacewatermanagement
• Costeffectivesolutionstomeet
regulatoryandenvironmental
requirements.
MWH’s Approach
MWHhasover100yearsexperience
inurbandrainageandwastewater
managementintheUKOurteamwork
approachprovidesclientswith
individualandinnovativesolutions
whichgivelongtermbusinessbenefits.
Effectiveprojectmanagementcoupled
withourawardwinningknowledge
systemsensuresthatwedeliverahigh
qualityserviceatacompetitiveprice.
Theobjectiveassessmentoffloodrisk
involvestheindependentassessment
oflikelihoodandconsequence.Insome
casesthecauseoffloodingandits
effectsmaybesimpletodetermine,but
morefrequentlyfloodingmayarisefrom
anumberofinterrelatedcausesandits
effectsmaybecomplex.
Thecorrectassessmentoffloodriskand
thedevelopmentofcosteffectiveflood
riskmanagementormitigationstrategies
requireparticularskillsinhydrology,
hydraulicengineering,geology,flood
modellingandmapping,law,economics
andsocialscience.MWHbringstogether
thesedisciplinestoofferourclientsa
comprehensiverangeofservicesthatis
bespoketotheirparticularneeds.
Benefits
MWHhasbeenattheleadingedgeof
floodriskmanagement,contributingto
theOfficeofScienceandTechnology’s
ForesightProgrammeonClimate
Change,FloodsandCoastalDefence
andScotlandandNorthernIreland
ForumForEnvironmentalResearch
(SNIFFER).Wehavepioneeredthinking
onsurfacewatermanagementinurban
areas,includingwritingCIRIA’sguidance
manualonDesigningforExceedance.
MWH’sexperienceranges
fromprovidingcatchmentwide
strategicassessmentsandflood
riskassessmentsforindividual
developments,tothedetailed
assessmentoffloodriskattributableto
individualassets.
Water
Strategic Flood Studies
Our services include the following:
• Integratedurbandrainage
• FloodmodellingandMapping
• Surfacewatermanagementstudies
• FloodRiskAssessments
• StrategicFloodRiskAssessments
• SurfaceWaterManagementPlanning
• Strategicadvicetogovernmentagencies
• SustainableDrainage(SUDS)
• Catchmentfloodmanagementplans
• Environmentalimpactassessments
• Planningandmanagementofflowand
qualitysurveysforsewersandrivers
• DatamanagementandGIS
•Hydrology
• Researchanddevelopment
Harrow Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
Client: Harrow Borough Council
MWHundertookaStrategicFlood
RiskAssessmentinaccordancewith
therequirementsofPlanningPolicy
Statement25(PPS25),todetermine
thecausesandprobableeffectsof
floodingintheLondonBoroughof
Harrow.Theoutcomesfromthe
assessmenthavebeenusedby
theLocalAuthorityasguidancein
influencingfutureDevelopmentPlan
Document(DPD)policies,withinthe
LocalDevelopmentFramework(LDF).
Itwasalsousedbythecouncilinthe
DevelopmentControlplanningprocess
toensureinappropriatedevelopment
doesnottakeplaceinfloodriskareas.
Strategic Surface Water Management Plan
Client: Drain London
TheDrainLondonForumbringstogether
representativesfromorganisationswith
aninterestinthesuccessfulmanagement
ofsurfacewaterdrainageinLondon.
Theiraimistobetterunderstandthe
relativeriskofsurfacewaterfloodingto
Londonandtodevelopstrategiclevel
surfacewaterplanningforLondon.
TheDrainLondonForumhasbeencreated
toassessandeventuallymapthestatus
ofLondon’sdrainagesystems.Previously,
responsibilityfordrainagewasheld
betweenmanyagencieswithnosingle
organisationtaskedwithcoordinating
collaborationbetweenparties.Drain
Londonisnowundertakingthisrole.
MWHisprovidingDrainLondonwiththe
ScopingStudyandDataAssessment
phaseofthework.Thefirstphaseofwork
involvedMWHdescribingthelocation,
quantity,qualityandownershipofdatain
theLondonarearelatingtothefollowing:
• Drainagenetwork,includingassociated
infrastructureandassetssuchas
watercourses,surfacewaterdrainage
systems,sewersystems,highwaydrainage
systemsandlanddrainagesystems.
• Floodevents,modelledandobserved
andfrombothsewersandwatercourses.
MWHhavecapturedthisinformationfrom
themultiplestakeholdersinvolved.Thiswill
enabletheDrainLondonForumtoproceed
withamanagementstrategytotackle
surfacewaterissuesintheLondonarea.
MWH’s experience ranges from providing catchment wide strategic assessments and flood risk assessments for individual developments, to the detailed assessment of flood risk attributable to individual assets.
Strategic Assessment Urban Flood Risk
Client: Thames Water
ThamesWaterrequiredarapid
assessmentofthefloodriskfor
strategicplanningpurposes.Property
inurbanareasisatriskfromsewer
floodingnotjustfromwheresewers
floodontothesurface,butalso
throughthemyriadofprivatedrainage
connectionsthatexists.
MWHweretaskedwithassessingflood
riskforpropertiesacrossthewhole
oftheThamesWaterregion,working
undertimepressuretodeliverthe
strategicassessmenttotheclient.
MWHcoupledexistingsewernetwork
modelswithourownfloodrisktool.The
toolthenallowedbothunderground
andabovegroundfloodpathways
tobemodelled,givinganaccurate
representationoffloodingmechanisms.
Modelswereverifiedbycomparisonto
knownfloodingincidentsintheregion.
Surface Water Management Plans
Client: Welsh Water
WelshWatercommissionedMWH
toreportonpossibleinitiativesthat
couldleadtoareductioninsurface
waterflow.Thisreportidentified
andcategorisedarangeofpotential
solutionsfortheclient.Thisworkwas
thensupplementedwithanadditional
commissiontoimplementMWH
recommendationsandtoidentify
additionalareasforinvestigation
andinvestmentsothatthelongterm
strategycouldbefulfilled.
Thepurposeoftheflowreduction
strategyistoutilisesustainable
drainagemethodsinorderto:
• Reducepredictedfutureflooding
• Reducepredictedfutureincidentsof
pollution
• Decreaseenergycosts
• Supportconservationand
recreationalopportunities
• Counterimpermeableareacreep
• Beinstrumentalinminimisingthe
impactsofclimatechange
MWHliaisedwithkeystakeholdersto
ensurethesurfacewatermanagement
strategydevelopedinaccordance
withthekeyinitiativesofeffective
engagementwithdifferentaudiences,
restructuringofthechargingsystem
andcompliancewithUKlegislation.
How we can help…
MWHisaleadingconsultantin
WaterandEnvironment,withover
7000staffandofficesin35different
countries.Withover1000stafflocated
inofficesthroughouttheUK,MWH
aregeographicallylocatedinoffices
tomeetthedemandsofourlocal
clients.Localskillsandknowledge
aresupplementedbythefullexpertise
andresourcesofMWHknowledge
communitiesworldwide.
Ourcoreareasofexpertisearein
environmentalengineering,designand
constructionmanagement.Weoffer
awiderangeofservicesinplanning,
design,deliveryofinfrastructureassets,
assetmanagement,environmental
management,sustainabledevelopment
andprogrammemanagement.
Gaye McKay
GayeMcKayisaSeniorEnvironmental
Scientistwith12yearsexperience
workingforbothregulatoryauthorities
andintheprivatesectorintheUK.She
wasformerlythesecretaryoftheSUDS
WelshWorkingPartyandhasactedas
theEnvironmentAgency’srepresentative
onthenationalSUDSretrofitting
initiative.Shehasalsobeeninvolvedwith
numerousstrategicdrainagestudies.
David Balmforth
DavidBalmforthisMWH’sexpertin
foresightandstrategicplanning.He
hasadvisedtheOfficeofScienceand
Technologyonclimatechangeand
floodingandcoastaldefence.Heisan
expertinurbandrainagemodellingand
design.Davidhasbeenresponsible
fornumerousresearchprojects
andGovernmentstudiesincluding
supportingtheimplementationofthe
EUFloodsDirectivefortheScottish
GovernmentandadvisingthePitt
Review.Hehasheldnumerous
academicpositionsincludingvisiting
professorattheImperialCollege
Londonandiseditorinchiefofthe
JournalofFloodRiskManagement.
Chris Digman
DrChrisDigmanisaCharteredCivil
Engineerwhohasworkedforover13
yearsinthewaterandwastewater
industry,designingandbuildingwater
qualityandfloodingsolutions.Inthe
last7yearshehasbeenleadingprojects
todevelopsustainablefloodrisk
managementprocessesandsolutions.
ThishasincludedcoauthoringCIRIA’s
guidance‘DesigningforExceedance
inUrbanDrainagesystems’,coediting
CIWEM’sIntegratedUrbanDrainage
ModellingGuideandleadinganumber
ofprojectstoassessthebenefitsof
retrofittingsurfacewatermanagement
measuresinurbanareas.Chrishas
written,presentedanddefendedmany
technicalpublicationsinextremeevent
floodingandsurfacewatermanagement.
0830
-STR
ATEGICFLO
ODSTU
DIES-041
3
David BalmforthTechnicalLeader
t: +44(0)1494478150
Chris DigmanSeniorPrincipalEngineer
t: +44(0)1924880880
Gaye McKayFloodRiskSpecialist
t: +44(0)1313354289
Printed on 100% recycled material. © This document and the material
contained therein remain the property of MWH UK Limited.