Workshops

The following workshops will be available on Sunday 31 August 2008 (subject to sufficient demand).

Delivering Flood Resiliance in a Changing Urban Environment
(Organised by COST Action C22)

Across Europe efforts to move to more integrated or sustainable flood risk management are providing valuable experiences for the development of a holistic approach in which the flood and climate resilience of the urban system is enhanced. But there is a widening gap between UFM on paper (planning) and UFM in practice (implementation), even for relatively small scale solutions, such as Sustainable Drainage Systems and Flood Resilient Solutions on new developments. In this context, cultivating good governance across organisational levels in which planning will lead to implementation is becoming at least as important as gaining new scientific knowledge.

The aim of the COST C22 UFM workshop is to explore the perceived barriers and bridges to the successful, effective delivery of flood resilience in urban areas. To achieve the aim, this will be an interactive workshop with keynote speakers and enough room for debate between experts. The workshop will be held on August 31, 2008 in Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom. COST Action C22 has increased European co-operation and interaction in the field of Urban Flood Management. The main objective of the Action is to increase the knowledge required for preventing and mitigating potential flood impacts to urban areas by exchanging experiences, developing integrated approaches, and by promoting the diffusion of best practices.

The Future of Sewerage
(Organised by WRc plc)

With the spotlights firmly anchored on the recent flooding events of 2007, the next couple of years will see a major shift in sewerage stewardship in the UK. Spearheaded by the need to ensure that sewerage services are provided at all times, the water industry is reshaping the way it is managing sewer (and more widely piped) networks. The need for change is influenced by different factors such as more intense meteorological events testing the resilience of the various systems but also society's requirements for improved service.

WRc has been involved in various projects last year which will help the industry to deal with these challenges. The internationally recognised SRM (Sewer Rehabilitation Manual) has been updated to reflect the change in Asset Management, Integrated Urban Drainage Management (IUDM) and Surface Water Management (SWM) practices. The new SRM (Sewerage Risk Management) is based on risk management rather than condition assessment and will provide the sewerage utilities with the necessary methodology for managing sewers in the future within the wider context of an holistic catchment approach. WRc has also developed national and regional models for estimating the impact of transferring existing private sewers to water companies' ownership. This will tremendously increase the asset stock of the sewerage network operators and will need to be carefully understood. Finally, WRc is also involved in Sustainable Urban Drainage systems (SUDs) with the second edition of Sewer for Scotland and various research projects bringing the water industry and SUDs manufacturers together. The workshop will focus on presenting the recent update of the SRM and the work undertaken on private sewers and SUDs.

For further information please contact: Jayne Matwiejczyk, PR Department on +44 (0) 1793 865 075 or pr@wrcplc.co.uk.

6th Seminar on Real Time Control
(Organised by the Real Time Control of Urban Drainage Systems Working Group)

Real Time Control (RTC) is a technology that helps communities improve operations by taking advantage of available capacities in wastewater systems. RTC is an efficient way of reducing sewer overflow, basement and street flooding as well as streamlining operations. Because RTC maximizes the use of collection and treatment facilities, communities can save millions in avoiding new-build facilities.
Recognized international Real Time Control experts will provide a comprehensive overview of the RTC technology and present some recent applications and results using this technology. The most up-to-date case studies from different parts of the world will be presented. A good portion of time will be allotted to discussion and answering questions from participants.

For further information please download the programme draft at the RTC website: www.dica.unict.it/users/acampisa/rtcwg or email acampisa@dica.unict.it

Challenges in Monitoring and Modelling of STORMWATER Treatment Systems
(Organised by: International Working Group on Data and Models)

Workshop objective: Exploration of the methods used for monitoring and modelling of the complex systems used for the management and treatment of stormwater discharges, such as BMPs, SUDS, WSUD, LID or SOCOMA systems.

Outline: Systems that manage and treat discharges from urban drainage systems are now widely used. Some are built as systems that treat only stormwater runoff (known as SUDS or SOCOMA in Europe, BMPs or LID systems in USA or WSUD systems in Australia), whilst others treat combined sewer discharges. Methods that we use in the monitoring and modelling of these complex systems are far from being practical and reliable. The workshop will explore the latest challenges and progress in both data collection and modelling of these complex systems. The morning session will cover topic dedicated to monitoring, while the afternoon will focus on modelling. It is the intention of the workshop that researchers involved in both monitoring and modelling can benefit from the experience of each other. Presentations have been invited from other working groups, in particular Working Groups on WSUD and SOCOMA. Presentations from young researchers are particularly encouraged.

Recognizing that reduction of runoff volume, along with control of peak discharges, should be a general objective of a stormwater management program, many SUDS (or BMPs or WSUD practices) have been developed over the years with the infiltration of runoff as one of the main design parameters for source control. The Workshop will examine various design approaches used in different part of the world for SUDS using infiltration as one of the control process and will present available modelling tools that are in use. Long term performance of these techniques will also be discussed as there is concern that they should have adequate longevity and that design should take this into account

Invited speakers from different parts of the world, from different climates and various cultural contexts will present and discuss the different topics. A panel discussion will provide a forum to discuss the implications of the new direction to be taken, addressing also the research needs identified.

For further information, contact grivard@aquapraxis.com or CLICK HERE to download further information.

Water Sensitive Urban Design Workshop

Workshop Theme: Engagement beyond engineers

Rationale
The international academic urban drainage community shares a vision for the future management of rainwater in urban areas.  The ‘ Water Sensitive City’ integrates water into the fabric of the city such that it enhances everyone’s quality of life, while at the same time offering an environment that is robust in the face of water shortage or excess.   To implement this vision requires action not just by the drainage professionals but by a wide range of urban professionals from highways engineers through planners to architects, and by the general public.  The aim of this workshop is to explore strategies that have been successful in engaging and communicating water sensitive urban design beyond the urban drainage community.

Who is the workshop for?
The workshop is aimed at urban drainage academics and professionals who have or want to work towards implementing water sensitive urban design through engaging other urban academics, professionals or the general public.  It will also be useful to other professionals concerned with the implementation of water sensitive urban design.

Content
The workshop will include a range of brief presentations from academic and practitioner speakers focusing on the objectives, processes and evaluation of engagement.  Workshop sessions will seek to provide participants with space to explore the issues discussed. If you have work which you feel can contribute to the workshop content please contact Liz Sharp (e.sharp@bradford.ac.uk).