19/06/09
Reports published today by the Environment Agency demand a serious policy debate about how to stop costs and disruption from flooding escalating as climate change gathers pace.
'Flooding in England' provides a timely update on the threat to people and property. The report quantifies the scope of risk from rivers and the sea and, separately, from surface water flooding. It also presents an analysis of critical infrastructure in flood risk areas.
At the same time, the agency has released its Long Term Investment Strategy for flood risk and coastal erosion.
The strategy shows how government funding, even allowing for significant increases from 2011, will not be enough to maintain current levels of safety and it may be necessary to identify other sources, including "enabling local communities to contribute to reducing flood risk in their locality".
Water treatment and pumping
The agency reports that some 55% of water treatment works and pumping stations are located in flood risk areas. This is unsurprising given that management of transport and energy costs (including carbon) by the water industry depends on these assets being close to water sources and abstraction points.
Water companies carry out risk assessments on vulnerable assets and, in business plans for 2010 to 2015 submitted to the water regulator in April, propose substantial improvements to the resilience of water and wastewater infrastructure. The plans will both protect vulnerable sites and improve access to alternative networked sources.
At industry level the business plans mean capital spending of £500 million for enhanced resilience through protection of assets, additional capacity and better network connectivity. They also allow for investment of £1.4 billion to reduce risk of property flooding from overloaded sewers.
Flooding in England - a national assessment of flood risk
Ends
For more information please contact:
Water UK Communication
020 7344 1809 (out of hours 07833 450544)
Note
A Water UK flooding strategy implementation group set up following publication of the industry's review of lessons learned from the 2007 floods will publish its first activity report on 20 July.
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