Date |
2006 - 2008 |
Client |
Birmingham City Council |
Project cost |
GBP £225000 |
Responsibilities |
|
Delivery partner support to Birmingham City Council. Project management. Legislative and administrative process reviews. Strategic planning. Integrated river, sewer and overland flow modelling using DHI Mike Flood package. |
Hyder are supporting Birmingham City Council with one of Defra’s innovative fifteen new projects investigating how to reduce the impacts of urban drainage flooding in towns and cities across England. The impacts are expected to increase as a result of the more intense and frequent rainfall events caused by climate change. The pilot aims to investigate the areas at risk, identify the causes and consider the best ways of managing urban drainage to reduce future flooding, including investigating the potential for deriving catchment wide benefits that the planned regeneration and new development of the former Rover site at Longbridge could offer.
Urban flooding is particularly challenging to manage, partly because several different organisations are responsible for different aspects of the problem, including local authorities, water companies, Network Rail, British Waterways, riparian owners, the Environment Agency and the Highways Agency. The Birmingham pilot aims to test how the various bodies can work together to identify potential new approaches and solutions. The project aims to provide Defra with a considered response, based on local evidence, as to the best arrangements for reducing flood risk in Birmingham, with support from Severn Trent Water and the Environment Agency that could be applicable nationally.
The pilot is using new tools and techniques for mapping and managing surface water (tested on the Glasgow Strategic Drainage Project) following heavy rainfall events, including the derivation of suitable integrated modelling techniques. Discussions and meetings with institutional and local stakeholders are underway, aimed at bringing more clarity on current legislative responsibilities for those managing urban flood risk. The pilot aims to identify a more integrated approach (across all stakeholders) to address future increases in risk resulting from urban creep, climate change and from peri-urban fringe flooding. The pilot will run through until April 2008. 