were on the menu of a stimulating and well attended Environment Agency seminar on Wednesday 12th December 2012, in London. Disarmingly, this wide-ranging UK public service is inviting innovation in five particular fields, namely:-
- The joining-up of catchment risk to avoid splitting the care of WATER_ASSET from WATER_LIABILITY. However
- Water-the-asset is in private hands , whilst
- Water-the-liability remains a public burden perhaps less concerned with innovation
- The scarcity of water (ie ‘private’ solution of drought and quality risk)
- Regulation (with talk of obligations on ‘ sustainable’ management)
- The worsening exceedance stats of natural water (relating to FRM and insurance thresholds)
- The joining up of catchment resilience
Innovative attenuation numerical modelling suggests that rural ‘Glastir-style’ (ie funded) buffer strips with added hydraulic function can join up ii. and 1v. to achieve the goals set out in i. (above)
High Friction Flood Plains, which increase green reservoir capacity, offer multiple benefits without lateral impact, and at low cost !!
Multiple Benefits of High Friction Floodplains 