Water Cycle Studies: Supporting Sustainable Development

Under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) regulations, only 16% of rivers in England are classed as achieving good or high ecological status. In comparison, this value is 29% in Northern Ireland, 43% in Wales, and 57% in Scotland. The …

When Sustainable Drainage Becomes Over-Engineered

SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) are replacing traditional urban pipe only systems and bring together water, landscape and people. But on many constrained development sites, the drive to make drainage hydraulically fail-safe is having the opposite effect: pushing designs towards large, …

A recent history of the River Wye and its decline

The River Wye is one of the longest rivers in the UK. It stretches 215 km from Mid-Wales to the Severn Estuary. The river and its catchment contain several nationally rare flora and fauna; crayfish, lamprey, salmon and otter live …

Beneath the Surface: Resilience to Groundwater Flooding

Hidden Waters – What is Groundwater Flooding?

Typically, we picture flooding as a sudden event, such as rivers bursting their banks or flash floods after a storm. However, groundwater flooding operates on a much longer timescale. It occurs due to …

TAN 15: Nine Months On

The Technical Advice Note (TAN) 15 provides essential guidance for local authorities, developers, planners and flood-risk specialists on managing development, flooding and coastal erosion in Wales.

TAN 15 has come a long way from its release in 2004, with its …

New Climate Change Functionality in Qube

We are pleased to announce that we have just released the new climate change functionality in Qube!

Qube is an online tool that models natural flow statistics and daily time series throughout the UK and Ireland for gauged and ungauged …

PFAS – the “forever chemicals” threatening our water

What Are PFAS?

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large family of over 7,000 synthetic chemicals that have been in use since the 1940s. Known for their durability, PFAS contain strong carbon-fluorine bonds, making them resistant to heat, water,

The winds of change

Our natural resources continue to be threatened by the growing energy needs of industry, agriculture and our population. Renewable energy targets to combat climate change also place increasing pressure on land use. How can we meet both energy and environmental

Clarity needed

The UK water industry provides essential water and wastewater services to homes and businesses across the country. In recent years, significant increases in sewage spills have brought the industry into serious disrepute. Water cycle studies offer a way forward.

Water …