SAWA strives to strengthen the member states for their current implementation of the EU Flood Directive (FD) by developing a transnational implementation strategy. The aim is to adapt existing water management systems to the effects of extreme flood events due to climate change, focusing on sustainable development of society and regional economies.
Based on case studies and pilot implementations, SAWA will test the new and innovative strategies in Flood Risk Management around the North Sea. The project integrates local, regional and national stakeholders, university and vocational training students.
2 - Promoting the Sustainable Management of our Environment
Area of Intervention
2.3 Adapting to and reducing risks posed to society and nature by a changing climate
ERDF Grant
3,524,000.00 €
ERDF Equivalent
556,000.00 €
Total Eligible Budget
8,160,000.00 €
Lead Beneficiary
Ministry of Economy, Traffic and Innovation (BWVI), Agency for Roads, Bridges and Waters Hamburg (LSBG), Germany Dagmar Goltermann dagmar.goltermann@sawa-project.eu Tel: +49 (0)177 644 38 41
Beneficiaries per Country
Germany
Ministry of Urban Development and Environment, Agency for Roads, Bridges and Water Hamburg (LSBG)
TU Hamburg-Harburg
HafenCity Universität Hamburg (HCU)
LEUPHANA Universität Lüneburg Fakultät Umwelt und Technik Campus Suderburg
Agriculture Chamber of Lower Saxony
The Netherlands
Province of Flevoland
Waterschap Zuiderzeeland ZZL
Waterschap Hunze en Aa’s HEA
Waterschap Noorderzijlvest NZV
Waterboard of Delfland
Norway
Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Melhus Municipality
Norwegian Meteorological Institute
Sweden
County Administrative Board of Värmland
SMHI (the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute)
County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland
Karlstad University
Swedish Geotechnical Institute
City of Karlstad
United Kingdom
Heriot-Watt University Sustainable Water Management Research Group, School of the Build Environment
Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, School of Engineering and Electronics, The University of Edinburgh
Background and Aim
Aim The project aims to adapt existing water management systems to the effects of extreme flood events due to climate change, focusing on sustainable development of society and regional economies. SAWA builds onto the following aims:
Improve, facilitate and accelerate the implementation of the new Flood Directive (FD) by developing a common planning and implementation strategy based on experience from a number of cases in the NSR,
Work out a decision strategy on how to use and prioritise new adaptive measures in Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMPs) closely coordinated with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation process to show synergetic potentials,
Develop and compile new adaptive structural and non-structural flood mitigation measures and schemes to improve water management systems in the NSR,
Prepare institutional, expert and public structures for an optimal implementation and operational capability of the FD in coordination with WFD, focusing on education, communication, capacity building and adaptive measures.
Background Looking at climate change as a driver for a very likely increase in regional risk of flooding, it will be one of the major challenges for future Flood Risk Management tasks in this century. It is widely believed, that adaptation will be one of the key strategies to cope with this threat. Large parts of the NSR are low lying areas. Hence in many of these areas the risk of fluvial flooding caused by more frequent heavy rainfall is putting pressure onto regional decision makers and stakeholders.
On EU level water policy has been strengthened by the recently adopted FD. It demands an integrated Flood Risk Management (FRM) on a river basin level with a close link to the EU WFD. The implementation bares great challenges for all, especially knowing the differences in legal, institutional and societal conditions in the member states. Both directives demand an integrated water management approach on a river basin level.
How such a management system can be implemented cost-effectively and what kinds of changes to institutional structures, stake holder involvement, education and communication, etc. are needed, is not clear. Three key areas have been identified where water management can be improved supporting sustainable regional development.
How can local decision making be an integral part of catchment based planning applying the concept of Flood Risk Management Plans?
How can measures be more locally adaptive without loosing effectiveness on a catchment scale?
How must education and communication be improved to optimally integrate stake holders on all levels?
These challenges require a transnational, interdisciplinary team with partners from all administrative levels (national to local) to assure a practical implementation together with scientific research institutions that are working toward the goals adapting education, management systems and mitigation measures to a changing environment.
Expected Outcomes
Centres for education towards sustainable flood risk management around the North Sea,
Adaptive strategy for implementation of Flood Risk Management Plans in the NSR,
Decision support database for flood protection measures in the NSR,
MSc/postgraduate course on flood risk management,
Cost-benefit analyses of measures in relation to adaptive planning strategies to optimize the implementation of Flood Risk Management Plans and River Basin Management Plans.
October 2010 - March 2011
The transnational education activities have started with a workshop in March 2010. A joint Masters course was hosted by Karlstad University in Spring 2011.
A website for the Sustainable Education Centre (SEC) was launched and an external network for SEC has been established. The transnational network for a more effective flood risk management consists of 15 members, including municipalities, regions, national authorities, consultants and the insurance sector.
Extensive research has been carried out in order to develop a new decision support system outline for water bodies including sustainable flood retention basins (SFRB) and other structural adaptive measures. It shall replace the current decision system, which is based on a collection of various tools based on different methodologies.
The SAWA project UK3 is applying cutting edge geo-statistical techniques and neural network modelling tools for sustainable flood risk management. The dataset developed so far allows a detailed spatial analysis of conventional hard variables such as dam length, height, and holistic variables such as how engineered a structure appears.
April - September 2010
The transnational education activities have started with a workshop in Gothenburg in March 2010. A joint master course will be hosted by Karlstad University in spring 2011.
A website for the sustainable education centre (SEC) was launched and an external network for SEC has been established. The network for a more effective flood risk management consists of 15 members, including municipalities, regions, national authorities, consultants and the insurance sector.
Extensive research has been carried out in order to develop a new decision support system outline for water bodies including sustainable flood retention basins (SFRB) and other structural adaptive measures. It shall replace the current decision support system, which is based on a collection of various tools based on different methodologies.
The SAWA project UK2 is applying cutting edge geo-statistical techniques and neural network modelling tools for sustainable flood risk management planning. The dataset developed so far allows a detailed spatial analysis of conventional hard variables such as dam length and height and holistic variables such as how engineered a structure appears.
October 2009 - March 2010
SAWA has now reached its mid-term. This working group has established a common understanding about stakeholder involvement and needed material to communicate and build the necessary capacity for the implementation process of the EC Flood Directive. This important building block also contributes to the strategy development in work package one. The preparation for the mid-term conference in Gothenburgh in May 2010 addresses how SAWA is working to implement EC water policy on a local level. The publicity activities have been intensified to promote the mid-term conference and to find the right link to the Working Group F within the CIS Process established by the European Commission. This includes the setting up of a conference website the building of fact sheets for all pilot projects.
The 3Di consists of two disciplines namely to integrate and have an interactive information management as well as the three dimensional visualisation of information to better understand decision. This new technique shall improve the manner in which water management information can be communicated to civilians and (government) officials and policymakers. Its focus is to accelerate the water simulation model for supporting Flood Risk Management Plans (FRMP), to increase the accuracy of the models using detailed terrain models and to communicate the derived (modelled) information the public and officials through using 3D visualisation via an internet portal. The first ideas of this approach was presented at the mid-term-conference in May 2010.
April - September 2009
The SAWA project has been accelerating after a moderate start due to organisational matters. The final adjustments to the individual work plans reflecting planned activities and deliverables have been made. The implementation process of the EC Flood Directive (FD) has started with stakeholder analysis conducted in different pilot catchments and the Decision Support System toolbox (DSS) has been improved across the partnership.
The operational computerised Decision Support System (DSS) which will use 3 hours radar rainfall data to improve prediction of flood risk is a new development handling these issues. In addition, the rain garden is a new way of handling surface water in urban areas. The SAWA project is presenting it for the first time in Norway. Finally, the publication of the water body and Sustainable Flood Retention Basins (SFRB) survey methodology is potentially significant in assisting the implementation of parts of the Flood Directive (FD). This is due to the fact that the water body and SFRB survey method allows this screening level assessment to be completed for water bodies and constructed impoundments and wetlands. The guidance manual is therefore a direct contribution to innovation in sustainable flood risk management planning.
Until April 2009
The Strategic Alliance for Integrated Water Management Actions (SAWA) will develop a strategy to adhere to the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) and which will also meet the requirements of the existing Flood Directive (FD). This will enable the North Sea Region to act flexibly on challenges arising from climate change issues.
The Flood Directive (FD) focuses on quantiative aspects of flood risks whereas in the case of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) water quality and good water conditions are pivotal. Each directive deals with water management and it is necessary to consider both aspects even though this might precipitate a conflict of interests.
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