On 4 and 5 June 2018, the IMPEL “River development planning” project team visited London for a workshop with experts from the Environment Agency and catchment partnerships in England. The six visitors from Germany, Denmark, Poland and Slovenia were informed on the “Catchment based approach” to improve the quality of the water environment in the UK. In catchment partnerships, various authorities work together with stakeholders and NGOs. Presented were various examples on the working of such partnerships in rural as well as urban areas.
On the second day, the project team went on the Thames with an Environment Agency vessel to see the attempts to reconcile city development with flood defense and ecological river restoration in London. The group also learned about the projected Tideway Tunnel which will run 25 km under the tidal section of the River Thames. The £ 5 bn. project is meant to modernize the 150-year old sewage sys-tem of the British capital by collecting, storing and transporting sewage and rainwater to a wastewater treatment facility, in order to stop the frequent river pollution in times of nor-mal rainfall.
The two-day visit was concluded by a project team meeting where the envisaged IMPEL guideline on river development planning was discussed.
For more information, please see the IMPEL River Develop Planning webpage or contact the project manager.