07/05/08
Water UK comments on the Flooding Report published on 7 May by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee following the 2007 summer floods.
The Committee says that no organisation has overall responsibility for surface water flooding and believes that local authorities should take the lead. Water UK agrees that Surface Water Management Plans form a key element of this and local authorities, if sufficiently resources and funded, should be responsible, along with a strategic overview from the EA.
Water UK also supports the Committee in arguing for greater use of sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) to provide surface water treatment and delay flow into drains. But SUDS are not flood protection in their own right.
Water UK is continuing its own review of the lessons learned from the 2007 floods. The first report, published in February, identified actions the industry must take to ensure future flooding response is more effective.
Whilst contingency plans did exist the scale of events overwhelmed them. The review recommended that companies review their plans and contingencies.
The final Water UK report will cover long term issues such as climate change and will be published in June 2008.
Water UK and its member companies individually are involved with Ofwat to produce a framework for water companies to assess the resilience of critical assets to flooding.
Ends
For more information please contact:
