A team, led by Royal HaskoningDHV and including experts from Deltares, Nelen&Schuurmans and Delft University of Technology, has received an innovation award for their entry into the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s Flood Risk Management and Modelling Competition .
The competition requested submissions in response to the question: If you were responsible for managing the Eden catchment in Cumbria, what flood risk management approaches would you recommend, and why ?
The winners were announced at a ceremony held at Defra’s offices in London, November 14th 2016, by Thérèse Coffey MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Jaap Flikweert , who led the submission, said: “ We used this competition as an opportunity to investigate, alongside our partners, how a Dutch approach could be adapted and applied in a UK context, helping to develop solutions that work for the local communities. ”
Although the competition focused on management of the flood risk presented by the River Eden in Cumbria, ultimately it is intended that the proposals put forward will deliver tools and approaches that can be applied to other catchment areas facing challenges.
Taking inspiration from the integrated nature of Dutch flood defense work, the team examined the potential opportunities for adding social and economic value to the proposals they put forward for the River Eden, in particular for Carlisle.
They also utilized 3Di, a revolutionary and ultra-efficient modelling suite for hydrological and hydraulic modelling, which allows live visualization and scenario testing. The model can be used to test more scenarios, including during live workshops, because the simulations take minutes rather than hours.