Adapting to climate change and flood risk in Leicester

Seminar for Lithuanian

municipalities and ministries 27th November 2018

Philip Thompson BSc CEng MICE Flood Risk Manager

East Midlands in Europe

The Humber and the Trent

River Soar

Mouth of the Humber

Humber River Basin District

District Basin

River Trent

The City of Leicester

Soar Catchment

Soar /Trent Confluence

LCC Boundary

District Basin ↓

Catchment

Leicester’s Sustainability action plan

City Council Ambitions

• Halve city wide carbon dioxide emissions by 2025

• Halve the city council’s carbon footprint by 2025

Meet EU target levels for air quality to create a healthier environment for city residents

• Encourage healthier lifestyle choices, and double everyday cycling numbers by 2018 then again by 2024

• Engage with more individuals, house holds, schools and employers each year to improve environmental awareness

• Protect and enhance open space and improve connectivity

to wildlife areas

The Council’s White Street Lights Project helping cut carbon

emissions by 62% and energy use by 54%

Before After

Council fleet includes 17 ultra-low emissions vehicles with plans

to introduce more

New city centre bus station

68 Passivhaus houses - which are 80% more

efficient than standard social housing - have

been built at the Saffron Acres site.

Sustainable Urban

Drainage integrated into

all new developments

2016/17 - 64% of household

waste in Leicester was

diverted from landfill

In 2016/17 over 1,100 tonnes of

garden waste was composted

through the Garden Waste Service

Schools developing

outdoor spaces and

saving water

Leicester’s topography Relief map of Leicester

Bowl shape with River

Soar running south to

north through the middle

Properties at flood risk

• 2,500 ‘significant’

1,000 ‘moderate’ from

the River Soar.

• 3,000 from main river

tributaries, especially

Willow Brook.

• 4,000 from surface

water flooding.

Main types of flooding

Fluvial

Flooding from rivers and watercourses River Soar, main tributaries

Pluvial Flooding from surface water Top ten in England and Wales

Coastal Flooding from the sea Evacuation from the East coast

Other types of flooding

Groundwater Flooding from aquafers and springs

Man-made bodies Flooding from canals and reservoirs Grand Union Canal

Sewers Flooding from surcharging pipe networks

Flood risk(fluvial)

City Boundary

Flood risk (pluvial)

Fluvial Modelling

Hotspot area

Pluvial Modelling

Climate change adaptation

In terms of climate change adaptation the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy is now complete and a range of actions preventing flooding in the city are being developed and delivered in conjunction with partners. • Reduce the flood risk to 2,000 properties through conveyance

improvements along the River Soar by 2018 • Continue to progress with communicating the ‘Do you know your flood

risk?’ campaign to raise awareness and increase preparedness of city residents to flooding in 2018/19

• Develop, consult on, and publish Leicester’s first Integrated Flood Risk

Management Strategy with the Environment Agency, addressing the risk of surface water flooding as well as flooding from the River Soar and watercourses across Leicester in 2018/19

Fluvial strategies

River Soar conveyance improvement project

Abbey Meadows

Bath Street

Loughborough Road Culvert

Pluvial strategies

Hotspot scheme feasibility – Gilroes Brook

Leicester Local Flood Risk Management Strategy

• The idea of traditional drainage is to take the water away from the surface as quick as possible.

• Involves the use of engineered structures to control the movement, direction and speed of water.

• Has little concern for amenity and biodiversity value.

Traditional Drainage Systems

Traditional Drainage is not very wild life friendly

Gullies can become blocked and cause ponding

Gullies require regular mechanical cleaning

Challenges with Traditional Drainage

Due to the increasing population and development in Leicester, there is now unprecedented pressure on sewer systems.

Therefore an alternative drainage philosophy and techniques need to be applied.

Increasing Population

Increasing demand on

land/development

Higher Risks/Impacts of

Flooding

Legacy of Traditional Drainage

Rain flows into Swale

Water infiltrates through Gravel/Soil layers

Water is soaked up by ground

Source control: • Rainwater harvesting • Soakaway • Green roof

Examples of SuDS- Source Control

Examples of SuDS- Site Control

Site control: Infiltration devices – surface or subsurface structure

to drain water directly into the ground. These include: Infiltration trenches, basins, filter

strips, and swales

Examples of SuDS- Regional Control Regional control: Basins and balance ponds, these include: detention basins, balancing/attenuation ponds, flood storage reservoirs, lagoons, retention ponds and wetlands/reed beds

Challenges

Drainage Challenges in Leicester

Aylestone Playing Fields and Castle Hill Country Park

Wetland, ponds, meadow and tree planting: Funded by Biffa Waste, Stepping Stones and LCC

Ponds , meadow and tree planting: Funded by LCC

Abbey Meadows Wetland and Ellis Meadows

Wetland, meadow, tree planting Funded and Project lead: EA

Wetland, meadow Funded by 6Cs Growth Point

40

Horizon 2020

H2020-ICT10c-2015

Grant Agreement N° 687809

Political and sOcial awareness

on Water EnviRonmental challenges

An EC Innovation Radar Project: High Potential Innovations and Innovators

Horizon 2020

GA-N° 687809

The POWER Consortium

Software development Governance

Pilot water communities Communication and engagement

POWER is contributing to UN sustainable development goals

• Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Strengthen the means

of implementation and

revitalise the global

partnership for

sustainable

development

The POWER local water community approach

FOLLOWER CITIES

POLITICIANS & DECISION-MAKERS

PROFESSIONALS

POWER MOBILE APP

WEBSITE

LOCAL WATER

COMMUNITY

PLATFORMS

& BEST PRACTICE

REPOSITORY

CITIZENS

KEY DEMONSTRATION

CITIES

Leicester (UK): extreme weather events (flooding)

leicester.power-h2020.eu

POWER Helpdesk

E. info@power-h2020.eu

power-h2020.eu

#powerh2020

19/06/18 DMU and UN Sustainable Development Goals Horizon 2020

GA-N° 687809

POWER Follower Cities

POWER is building a network

of Follower Cities to

• share best practice

• apply the POWER approach

to develop a Local Water

Community to tackle their

own locally-relevant water

environmental challenge.

Adapting to climate change and flood risk in Leicester

Seminar for Lithuanian

municipalities and ministries 27th November 2018

Philip Thompson BSc CEng MICE Flood Risk Manager