Funding enables innovation in flood resilience
Wednesday, 27 March 2024
In partnership with Hertfordshire County Council, we're leading a project to trial measures to help better respond and adapt to flood risks.
It follows a successful bid for up to £6 million of funding over 6 years as part of the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme.
Based on work at the Pix Brook, which rises in North Hertfordshire before flowing through Bedfordshire, the project will trial innovative techniques and technologies to manage water flow using urban drainage systems and natural flood management. This will help to increase the resilience of communities to potential flood events and helps prepare for the increased impacts of climate change.
Better monitoring will give quicker and more detailed information to allow partners to respond to increasing water levels. The project will focus on the overall health of the Pix Brook watercourse by addressing challenges associated with water quality and pollution, enhancing biodiversity and habitat restoration, and making use of nature-based flood management techniques.
Lessons learned from the project will help provide experience and help shape multi-agency approaches to responding and managing the impact of flooding across the Central Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire area in future years. Improving water management and quality using automated data collection methods will help pioneer designs in future urban drainage systems and natural flood management.
The project, ResilienTogether, is part of the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, and is being delivered in partnership with many other organisations, including:
- Anglian Water
- Affinity Water
- Bedford Group of Drainage Boards (IDB)
- Environment Agency
- Letchworth Heritage Foundation
- University of Exeter (Centre for Water Systems)
- North Hertfordshire District Council
- Radio Data Networks
- JBA Consultancy
- Friends of Norton Common
- Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity
- Upper and Bedford Ouse Catchment Partnership
In conjunction with the announcement, ResilienTogether is today launching a new website where everyone can find out more and get involved.
Councillor Tracey Wye, our Executive Member for Sustainability and Climate Resilience and Chair of the ResilienTogether Board said:
We’re delighted to launch the ResilienTogether website, which aims to be a source of information and a means of increasing awareness of the project. ResilienTogether is a fantastic example of how collaboration is crucial when trying to drive innovation in flood resilience.
Our Executive Member for Highways and flooding lead, Councillor Simon Ford, said:
Working closely with local partners, our priority is to assist residents and businesses in minimising the disruptions caused by floods and severe weather. We’ve seen recently how important this issue is.
Lynne Ceeney, Director of Environmental Sustainability at Hertfordshire County Council said:
ResilienTogether is a great opportunity for organisations to come together to explore innovative approaches in reducing flood risk. Together, we're not only reshaping the landscape of resilience but also incorporating cutting-edge technologies, proactive community engagement and wide scale partnership working, driving local authorities towards a more sustainable future.