Lincoln Integrated Urban Drainage

Lincoln, UK

Project outline

A Government document, ‘Making space for water’ (Defra, 2004), has identified a strong need for a holistic, joined-up, and integrated approach to deal with the problems of flooding. This is especially the case in urban areas where there is a complex interaction between drainage systems and a widespread difficulty in identifying ownership of the problem.  Proposals for major urban development and the potential effects of climate change make a new approach to urban drainage even more pressing.

The Lincoln Integrated Urban Drainage (LIUD) Pilot is one of fifteen pilot studies, funded by Defra, currently being undertaken across the UK to identify ways of solving a series of urban drainage and flooding problems, and the barriers that exist. It is especially concerned with situations where there is an interaction between more than one flood mechanism and / or organisation responsible for the issue.  It is hoped that the findings of the pilot studies will provide Defra with sufficient insight into the drainage problems faced in urban areas to inform future policy legislation.

The LIUD Pilot is being undertaken through partnership between the key local stakeholders involved in the planning, provision and operation of drainage assets in Lincoln.  The LIUD partners are:

• Environment Agency (lead authority)
• Anglian Water
• Upper Witham Internal Drainage Board District
• Witham First Internal Drainage Board District
• Witham Third Internal Drainage Board District
• City of Lincoln Council
• North Kesteven District Council
• West Lindsey District Council
• Lincolnshire County Council

The pilot is seeking to combine the expertise that these different stakeholders can bring to the partnership to identify ways to solve the urban drainage issues facing Lincoln, and the barriers to successful Integrated Urban Drainage Management.

Contract value

£100,000

Key features

• Co-ordinating the interaction between nine different stakeholder organisations.
• Modelling of rivers, surface water sewers, and overland flow paths.
• Analysis and assessment of the interaction between rivers and surface water sewers and the associated flood risk.
• Exploration of the relationships that exist between different drainage organisations and promotion of partnership working to manage flood risk.

Appointment

• Strategic Flood Risk Management Plan