Q&A with Chris Patmore: Expert insights from our Hydrology team

My aim is to broaden our delivery to developers in front end drainage and flood risk. With Schedule 3 (perhaps) just around the corner for England, I hope to share my experience working with wider teams across the business. 

The open approach that permeates within our teams emphasises sharing ideas and collaboration as the key. SuDS are not a one-discipline solution and will require cross-discipline collaboration. 

The implementation of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 will be a large step change in surface water management in England, but the industry faces many challenges in resourcing and funding. The introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain presents an interesting opportunity for more holistic flood management solutions. 

Hydrology is one of the cornerstones in understanding flood risk and ultimately managing surface water and flooding. It sets up the baseline and allows various scenarios to be modelled and tested. 

Higher data resolution improves the quality of modelling and the development of solutions. This includes topographical, utility, and infrastructure data, as well as historical rainfall and flooding events. Adjusting this data results in a more accurate model of the existing situation, replicating historic events and allowing testing against predicted events. This enables the examination of solution options and measures. Stakeholders can then share and develop these options to explore funding and delivery mechanisms. Securing buy-in from as many stakeholders as possible is crucial for successful outcomes. 

Smart systems that link rainfall to flood storage are becoming increasingly common. This manages the flood storage by collecting and releasing flows around weather patterns to reduce the downstream impact, as well as enabling us to reuse harvested water. Increasing accuracy in forecasting and more resolution of data has improved modelling. The move from the Flood Studies Report (FSR) to the Flood Estimation Handbook (FEH) is one example whereby the FEH not only has more specialised resolution but is constantly updated with actual rainfall data. 

Flooding can have a wide range of effects on everyone and everything. They can range from heavy rain leading to landslips on a railway line disrupting travel to an individual home being flooded and damaged through to loss of life and disruption to essential infrastructure (power and water). To manage and mitigate flood risks, many "Risk Management Authorities" need to bring their experience, responsibilities, and skills together. It is only through this coordination that successful measures can be implemented. 

Some solutions gaining traction are the Natural Flood Risk Management measures where we can better protect downstream urban areas by managing upstream rural catchment differently. 

The Flood and Water Management Act (2010) responded to the 2007 floods, and many of its recommendations focused on responsibilities and the sharing of information. While not fully enacted, many measures (such as the creation of the Lead Local Flood Authority) have contributed to improving flood risk response and mitigation. However, some information sharing silos and unaddressed responsibilities still present opportunities for improvement. It would be unfortunate if lessons learned were not implemented before another significant flood event.