WSP explains how an Integrated Water Management (IWM) mindset benefitted its work with the Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) in producing a 10-year Strategy and Flood Action Plan.
Created after the devastating flooding of winter 2013/14, the SRA was set up to provide Somerset with an extra level of flood protection and resilience. The Strategy and Flood Action Plan will prioritise interventions for local communities based on need and impact.
Benefits of the IWM approach were driven by a focus on:
- Exploring all elements of the water cycle
- Collaborating with 10 partners
- Understanding how water, wastewater, and stormwater services contribute to water security, public health, environmental well-being, and urban amenity
The partner organisation with members on the SRA board are:
- Somerset Council
- Parrett and Axe Brue Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs)
- Environment Agency
- Natural England
- Wessex Regional Flood & Coastal Committee
- Wessex Water
WSP helped the SRA’s board reach a consensus on the content and strategic intent of the Strategy and Flood Action Plan by applying an integrated water management (IWM) mindset to coordinating its development. IWM is a collaborative approach to planning and managing all elements of the water cycle. It considers how water, wastewater and stormwater services can contribute to water security, public and environmental health, and urban amenity.
The wide-ranging consultation and engagement process also extended to other key stakeholders including National Park Authorities, the National Farmers Union, the National Trust, environmental groups and landowners.
Enabling a flood-resilient future
The SRA Flood Action Plan is now a live document and sets out what will be done and ideas for the future. The Plan takes all the main elements of the Strategy and incorporates them into a dynamic plan that evolves year by year, catchment by catchment, action by action.
Key areas where one of the world's leading and largest professional services firms is helping clients by using an Integrated Water Management (IWM) approach to support the need for joined-up solutions include:
Using Systems Thinking for future ready resilience
By integrating environmental, economic, and social factors, we coordinate the management of water catchments throughout the entire water cycle.
Maximising benefits through collaboration
Bringing together stakeholders from various sectors allows us to harness collective expertise to tackle the complexities of water management effectively.
Simplifying complex, multifaceted challenges
IWM enables organisations to address issues efficiently while maintaining focus on the bigger picture
Commenting on the development of the Somerset Flood Action Plan, Richard Behan, Associate Director, Water Strategic Advisory said:
“Capturing a range of different viewpoints from the organisations that make up the SRA board prevented potential opportunities being missed in the development of the plan, which will lead to better outcomes for Somerset.”
Click here to read the Somerset case study in full.
Click here to find out more about WSP's holistic approach to Integrated Water Management.
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