A strategic approach to flood management

We produced a comprehensive asset management plan (AMP) that balances the performance, value and useful life of the assets, while minimising the risks and costs of their operation and maintenance. The plan is underpinned by our digital tool, which uses existing Environment Agency asset management data and current research to model the expected lifespan and whole-life costs of flood assets in different scenarios - ensuring alignment with broader flood schemes. 

Many of Nottingham’s flood defences were constructed following severe flooding in the mid and late 20th century, meaning old and newer assets now work in combination to reduce local flood risk to 25,000 homes and businesses.  

Our programme enables the Environment Agency to adopt a proactive, catchment-wide approach to maintaining and renewing these ageing assets - helping it continue to provide essential flood resilience to the local community while balancing costs. 

Optimising asset management with data-driven insights 

Watercourses are complex systems, and flood assets rarely function independently. Traditional asset management planning uses manual analysis to make decisions for small groups of assets at a time. This is both time-consuming and ignores assets’ interconnectivity.

Our digital tool overcomes the limits of these methods using two models that combined over a dozen datasets to enable planning at a catchment level – considering all assets together. 

Using the tool to model asset deterioration and predict maintenance requirements means the Environment Agency can shift to a proactive approach, rather than scheduling repairs as assets begin to fail. This enables costs to be spread more evenly across the management plan period. 

A coordinated approach to flood risk management 

While the AMP focuses primarily on assets maintained by the Environment Agency, it references third-party assets maintained by local authorities, water companies and others. This allows consideration of minor optimisation of repair, refurbishment or replacement that might provide strategic benefits to the overall flood defence system.

The AMP serves as a crucial input to the Environment Agency's strategic outline business case for investments in flood defence assets. Incorporating third-party assets into the AMP enables a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to investment in flood risk management.

This holistic perspective supports more effective collaboration among stakeholders and fosters a sense of shared responsibility in addressing flood risks – ultimately enhancing the resilience and adaptability of the region against potential consequences of future flood events.