FLOODEX 2016 – Major new event to showcase innovation in managing flood risk

In less than a month from now ADA will be hosting a major new event for advances in water level and flood risk management, FLOODEX 2016, at the Peterborough Arena on 18th and 19th May. The event marks a significant upturn in national interest in the subject of water level and flood risk management with senior industry and government figures attending and speaking. These seminar sessions run alongside trade stands featuring the country’s leading innovators in engineering, sustainable urban drainage, watercourse maintenance, plant machinery, pumping equipment and property protection products, along with the Environment Agency.

This winter’s flooding has drawn close attention to the need for integrated solutions that ADA and its members advocate, working cooperatively with each other, communities and land managers to deliver Total Catchment Management from source to sea. There is no silver bullet, instead we need a balanced combination of:

increasing soil infiltration and storing more flood water in the upper parts of the catchment to control run-off by working with farmers and other land managers, restoring rivers to reduce peak flows downstream, creating flood storage areas at critical points further down the catchment to retain water during times of high rainfall, promoting sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and district-wide strategic surface water management in towns to reduce urban run-off, ensuring the effective maintenance of drainage ditches, channels and rivers in lowland parts of the catchment, and planning and designing for exceedance with effective property level protection and resilience measures.

FLOODEX 2016 provides an excellent opportunity to explore these themes in more detail with both a varied assembly of exhibitors and a seminar programme of speakers from local authorities, consultants, internal drainage boards, water companies, engineers, manufacturers, the Environment Agency and Defra over the two days.

Speaking ahead of the event ADA’s Chairman, Henry Cator said:

“The challenges resulting from our changing weather patterns have the ability to test even our most robust systems. Resilience is going to play an increasingly important part in how we work in partnership with others to manage and defend our lowland environment. I look forward to talking to visitors, exhibitors and speakers at Floodex about new and innovative solutions to these problems”

FLOODEX 2016 is free to attend and we will simply be asking attendees to register, preferably ahead of the day they intend to come to avoid the queues, or on arrival on the day.

We look forward to welcoming everyone from engineers, builders and flood risk experts to groundsmen, farmers and homeowners. So whatever your level of knowledge about flooding please visit www.floodex.co.uk to register to attend and for further details about the event.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing all of you at FLOODEX.

Innes Thomson
Chief Executive
Association of Drainage Authorities

ENDS.

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