Communities in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire made more resilient through data

Global engineering and design firm, Stantec, is supporting communities and local authorities in Central Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire with its innovative, digital floodwater management tool – The Surface Water Assessor.

Pix Brook runs through Letchworth, Stotfold, and Arlesey, and has a longstanding history of flooding regularly. Studies and schemes have been developed over the years to alleviate the risks but, due to more intense rainfall, finding a solution is now urgent.

Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) & Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) work together to help mitigate flooding in the Pix Brook catchment area. Both local authorities were keen to explore whether a technology-led approach could be used to help manage the flood risk.

CBC & HCC, alongside partners, were successful in securing DEFRA funding through the flood and coastal resilience innovation programme for a new mitigation scheme. The scheme, originally called ‘Managing Flood Risk Using Information Technology’, is now known as ResilienTogether.

The funding enables the ResilienTogether project to explore how data and digital-led approaches can help authorities better understand, manage, and monitor the risks posed by flooding and to design appropriate, effective interventions.

Stantec was appointed to support the councils with the project. Together the group has identified a number of opportunities where solutions can be put into place to help better understand and manage flood risks.

Andy Porter, Head of Digital Services, Community Development, Stantec, commented: “Our Surface Water Assessor evaluates each property or land parcel within a catchment area. In this case, we looked at more than 200,000 of them and, using 10 baseline datasets and information around local surface and foul water networks, determined the most appropriate intervention through our Surface Water Assessor tool.

“For the Pix Brook project, we targeted numerous locations where a range of SuDS (sustainable drainage systems) and natural flood management solutions could be deployed. This allowed for a more strategic approach and for feasibility assessments to be undertaken.”

Councillor Ian Dalgarno, Central Bedfordshire Council's Executive Member for Community Services added: “We’re delighted to be working with Stantec and using their technology for the Pix Brook ResilienTogether project area.

“We’ve been able to make informed decisions on where best to intervene and install SuDS interventions, to help protect residents’ homes from flooding.”

Learn more about Stantec's digital services here. For more information about the ResilienTogether project, click here. 

This project is funded by Defra as part of the £150 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme which is managed by the Environment Agency to develop and test new approaches to resilience tailored to local communities.

About Stantec
Communities are fundamental. Whether around the corner or across the globe, they provide a foundation, a sense of place and of belonging. That's why at Stantec, we always design with community in mind.

We care about the communities we serve—because they're our communities too. This allows us to assess what's needed and connect our expertise, to appreciate nuances and envision what's never been considered, to bring together diverse perspectives so we can collaborate toward a shared success.

We're designers, engineers, scientists, and project managers, innovating together at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships. Balancing these priorities results in projects that advance the quality of life in communities across the globe.

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Media Contact
Calum Metcalfe
Stantec Media Relations
Ph: +44 1612 458904
Calum.Metcalfe@stantec.com