wcc - managing flooding in warwickshire · andrew savage – warwickshire county council managing...

LANDF RM – Stemming the flow- Managing flood risk in existing developments

15/10/09

Andrew Savage – Warwickshire County Council

Managing Flooding in WarwickshireBy

Andrew Savage, MICE C.Eng. - County Highways Contract & Policy Manager -

Managing Flooding - Content of Presentation

• Background - Flood Events over the Past 100 Years in Warwickshire – any trends!

• Managing Strategic & Local Flood Actions – A Multi Agency Approach– Before, During and After Floods

• Improvements in IT systems help management of Flood Events• Impact of the Flood & Water Bill for Local Authorities• Climate Change - It seems we’re in for the long haul!


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History of Flooding in Warwickshire• Wettest on record. 1879 for Central

England – 293mm May-July• Jan. 1st 1901• May 23rd 1932• (1953 East Coast Storm Surge – 300

drowned)• April 10th 1998 Easter (1 drowned)-

Properties flooded?• June 2007 - Cubbington, L/Spa- 42

properties- Surface Water Flooding• July 21st 2007- 360mm rain - some 2000

properties – 80% flooding from water courses• 2008 – Summer – Fenny Compton Surface

Water Flooding• 2008 – Dec.13th – Delamere Road Bedworth

- 40 properties

Why is responding to flooding difficult and variable?

Scale ofFlooding

3 hours to 5 day!200 Parish

DistrictCounty Councils

Env. AgencyS.T.Water

B.Waterways

Paper or no records – hotspots?

Lack of centralized information

CriticalInfrastructure,

Care homes, schools

Highway Bridge

DevelopmentGroups

Police and Fire & Rescue

HighwaysAgency

Private Land Owners.Ditches

Press & Public Expectations –

”can be like a machine gun”

Events– ever 10-25 Years

New Staff – in all outlined groups

LimitedFunding


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The July 2007 Storms Cover Warwickshire! (4-5 times average rainfall- Similar in many other parts of UK)

• -

Key Facts About 2007 Floods – A Wake Up Call!• 120mm rain in 5 hours• 60 Roads Closed Countywide• 20 Damaged Bridges• Over 4000 telephone calls to County

Highways over a month• Some 2000 properties flooded –Home,

businesses, care homes, and a school • Flooding scattered across 75

Communities with 5 to over 100 properties with internal flooding.

• 5 Market Towns suffered significant flooding– Shipston (69), Wellesbourne(70)– Henley(50) , Alcester(150), Bidford(95)– Areas of Leamington(6) and Warwick

(10) very close to significant flooding.

– (10) = no. of properties flooded)


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Shipston on Stour – 69 Homes and businesses flooded

Henley 2007 – some 50 properties flooded


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July 2007 Flooding - Warwick

• Literally “The Water Front” – Warwick

• New flats now difficult to insure!

2007 Wellesbourne – Some 70 properties flooded by River Dene


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July 2007 Flooding -Stratford

• Waterside Street aptly named in Stratford.

• Plaque show 100 year range of Floods in 1901, 1932 and 1998, Less severe in 2007!!

Economic Impact of 2007 Flooding

• Circa 1800 homes flooded• Some 200 businesses flooded• Total Insurance Bill - @£90M• Some £400K immediate

highway and bridge repair costs

• Road condition showing signs of deterioration after two “wet summers” – potentially £3-£6M to address deterioration.


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Improvements in the Management of Flooding Events since 2007

• Pitt Report – National Review• Various Internal Reports – County and

District• Setting Up a Warwickshire Strategic Flood

Forum – Oct 2007• Draft Water and Flood Management Bill• Strengthening the Role of Communities and

Individuals

Flood RiskManagement

Forum

Local Resilience Forum

(LRF)

LRF Flood Working Group

5 District Surface Water Management /

Drainage Group

Planning processes

Scrutiny

Political involvement

Regional Flood Defence Committee

Local Strategic Partnership

Investment processes for each authority/agency

Membership of Surface Water Management/Drainage Group:Highways, water companies, EA, IDBs, district councils (SUDS issues)

Post Recovery Actions – Setting up a Strategic Flood Forum


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Post Recovery Actions – Setting up a Warwickshire Strategic Flood Forum

The Terms of Reference of the WSFF Group are:-

• Ensure effective collaboration between Agencies & Departments. (include fire and rescue)

• Reviews progress of Agencies & Departments in respect to the 15 Urgent Recommendations of the Pitt Report. Eg Looking at NetworkVulnerability.

• Looking medium - long term at the maintenance & improvement of the drainage infrastructure

• Ensure local drainage forum's meet regularly with appropriate representation and progress key projects, and support to resolve any difficulties.

• Prepare & update list of key contact details between Agencies • Reviews & proposes improvements to communication systems during

and after emergencies. • Help review and influence organisational policies to ensure

consistency. • Help explore appropriate funding sources

Managing potential risk of Flooding

• Closer tracking of Weather conditions and water levels by all key agencies.

• More focused organisational alertness - Green, Amber and Red or Bronze, Silver and Gold Status.


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Managing Flood Events – as conditions worsen!

• Fosse Way – proactive surveying during floods identifies major risks to driver with water 5ft. deep

Managing Flood Events – being prepared for many road closures.

July 2007 Flooding -60 Roads Closed

• You can’t stop every one putting themselves at risk!

• Even 4X4 can’t always cross fast flowing flood waters.• New maps capture high risk sites


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Managing Floods – Recovery Stage

July 2007 Flooding Recovery Actions by EA

• Know key people to contact and “hotspots”

• Clearing up operations dovetailed with Environment Agency.

Managing Flood Events – PR Matters

• Initial Shock of Flooding to residents …“the experience is terrifying”

• Need someone on site in flood events within an hour (when more than 5 homes involved)

– Managing Distressed People – Mobile Advice Centre (lacking in 2007)

– Vulnerable People & Pets!

– Managing Press– Co-ordinate Recovery Activities of Organisations


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Managing Flood Events – Recovery ActionsJuly 2007 Floods

• Over 60 roads closed during flooding. Repairs blitzed and all roads open to traffic within 48 hrs after flood water subside.

• EA busy clearing debris from key bridges

Developing IT systems – to help manage flooding! – The scope of IT is to help join up organisations and fill information gaps

Scale ofFlooding

2 hours to 5 day!200 Parish

DistrictCounty Councils

Env. AgencyS.T.Water

B.Waterways

Paper or no records – hotspots?

Lack of centralized information

CriticalInfrastructure,

Care homes, schools

Highway & Bridge

repairs

Police and Fire & Rescue

HighwaysAgency

Private Land Owners.Ditches

Press & Public Expectations –

”can be like a machine gun”

Events– ever 10-25 Year

New Staff – in all outlined groups

LimitedFunding


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Managing Flooding – Developing IT systems

• Management 93000 Gullies on a 3820km road network and associated pipe and ditch systems

• Managing Hotspots and Road Closures to keep Essential Services Going

• Minimising impact of future developments• Managing and improving future local resilience• Sharing Information!

C A L L C E N T R E

P . E . M .D E F E C T P O O L

S T R E E TW O R K S

A R E AS U R V E Y O R

P H O N E

W C C / C A R I L L I O N D E F E C T

P L A N N I N G P R O C E S S

S A F E T Y I N S P E C T I O N

T E A M

I N T E G R A T E D M O B I L E S O L U T I O N

Creating More Integrated Information Systems in Highways Organisations – up to 6000 calls/year on drainage issues


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Developing Drainage Management Tools -Using In-Touch to target blocked Gullies

• 30 Blocked gullies to be cleared October 2006

Kenilworth, Cluster Maintenance of 30 Gullies to be cleaned out shortly

Managing Flooding – Developing Drainage IT Systems

• 30 Blocked gullies to be cleared October 2006


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• Stage 2 Improvements – Asset Management of Gullies

• New Systems to be developed to collect fixed asset data

• Improving customer service –smarter details in call centre to take query details and Accurate future feedback

• location details save wasted time by repair gangs going to wrong site

• Intelligent variable frequency cleaning can save circa £45000 per annum

Developing Flood Management Plans – Using GIS Tools – from October 2009

• First opportunity to have Countywide picture of key information at the press of a button.

• Rapid drill down to local details


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Corporate GI Vision

Three distinct areas of work:

• GI Strategy/ Services

• GI Data• GI Applications

Spatial Data Store

Corporate GIS Team – administers all aspects of the SDS including updates from users and external suppliers.

Secure access to Partners e.g. VPN or password protected web pages

SpatialDataStore

(Cluster)

Firewall

Desktop GIS users – Highways, Development Group , Emergency Planners, EA, Parishes, other

GI in applications e.g. HMIS, Exegesis, ParkMap

OS UpdatesData from external suppliers

Public Internet

Public Internet


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Plot of the extent of FloodingUse of GIS- Creating Flood Management Plans for Alcester

Plot of Properties at Risk helps focus local resilience

Use of GIS- Creating Flood Management Plans for Alcester


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Plotting of Development Applications and Flooded Properties


Plotting of Bridges, Schools, Sewers, etc,etc possible


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Future Layers of GIS Flood Management related data

• All Critical Infrastructure• Ditches• Maintenance Inspections• Road Closures• Utility details• Survey Details• Land Ownership,

Management of Flooding Funding Issues – 2007 was a wake up call!

• No additional Funding for 12 months after July 2007!

• Levy Funding £3M out of £15M requests to Local Levy Board – Medium Term Funding does not meet local aspirations

• 2008 Domestic Grants - £3m awarded from £25M requests nationally.

• £0.5M allocated by WCC Members for 2 years

• Projects of the order of £10-30M required over next 10 years.


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Some Strategic Actions – Progressing Larger Schemes

• Drainage Forum Meetings monitors progress of on going and proposed new schemes.

• Eg Kenilworth Flood Alleviation £14M by STW• Leamington Flood Relief project – modelling exercises

ongoing. Possible £20M project by STW• 3 Schemes by EA planned for 2009-10.

– £875K Alcester Pumping Stations– £350K Wellesbourne Raising existing bund and new

retaining wall.– £510K Broom Earth bund and STW works– £0.5M of Area Committee Projects

Flood Defence Works in Long Itchington

• Water Course Works started in September 2009


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Innovative Solutions- not just pipes, pumping stations and bunds

Wooton Wawen – 20 homes flooded in 2007Ground levels reduced to channel flood water to field

past houses and community hall. Seems to work during 2008 heavy storms

Recent Isolated Flood Events – Bedworth December 2008

• 40 Homes flooded in Bedworth in 3 Hour flood event -13th December 2008

•Flood Investigated days after event and Modelled in weeks


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Recent Isolated Flood Events – Bedworth December 2008

• 40 Homes flooded in Bedworth in 2 Hour flood event -13th December 2008

• Ditch Piped and retaining wall raised – May 2009

• New Trash Screen and monitoring gauges– July 2009 – £60K

• April 2010 – additional retaining walls costing £150K

Draft Floods and Water Bill 2009• Surface water management is an idea whose time has come.

For years people struggled to do the right thing despite the system. Now the draft Flood and Water Management Bill clearly sets out who should lead and that partnership working is expected, for example:

• S132 … The Government also believes local flood risk management will be best if based on new partnership arrangements

• S135 The draft Bill places the leadership role in these partnerships on county and unitary local authorities ….

• S 136 County and unitary authorities will …. Produce flood risk assessments and flood risk action plans – e.g. surface water management plans for their areas. …

…..but where’s the funding!!!!


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Conclusion – Slide 1 of 3

Key elements for successful management of flooding• Working in partnerships is

essential before, during and after flood events.

• Strategic approach needed to influence policy – both development and funding!

• Sharing of data and information to improve everyone’s understanding of risk

• Build resilience

Conclusions on Flooding- Slide 2 of 3

• Historically, major flooding has happened in Warwickshire every 30-50 years but now every 10 years???!!

• Don’t develop in the wrong spot!• Local resilience important• A Strategic Flood Forum is key to

maintaining progress before, during and after the next flood event.


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Conclusion on Flooding– Slide 3 of 3

Any Questions?

Developing IT Systems key is to managing complex and varied stages of flooding.

You can’t sit on the fence or behind it. You have to manage before - during and after floods on a continuous basis. Climate Change and the Draft Floods and Water Bill are here!

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