Interview
In response to the devastating floods estuary. In 2000 the defences had 30 reducing the flood risk to London.”
that spread across the east coast of years left of their design standard and “Other countries across the world
England in 1953, the Thames tidal we wanted to develop a long-term plan are experiencing the same effects of
defences were developed and they for the area.” climate change but I am not yet aware
began operating 30 years later in “At the time we were not reacting of any projects that have adopted the
1983. These current tidal defences to any particular event and so getting same proactive approach to protect
consist of the Thames Barrier, 30 attention for the project was hard. against rising sea levels. TE2100 will
further major barriers, 400 smaller With the absence of any sort of be an exemplar project that can help
barriers and hundreds of kilometres of incident we needed to make people similar flood defence research.”
sea wall. realise that to be able to react The Thames barrier is one of
effectively to what might the largest movable flood barriers
“”
happen in the future we in the world. It protects 125 square
had to start planning kilometres of central London from tidal
This proactive approach is what makes then. This proactive surges – that’s 1.25 million people
the project so exciting for me and what
approach is what makes and historic buildings, offices, power
makes it so different from other flood risk
the project so exciting for supplies, tube lines and hospitals.
me and what makes it so In their 25 years of service, the flood
management work different from other flood defences have been put into action
risk management work.” over 100 times – protecting London
Jean Venables The TE2100 looked and the wider south east region.
at threats to the flood defences, The most recent severe event
one of which is climate change. occurred in 2007 following a storm
Studies predict that sea level rise and surge. It was well predicted, some
The level of protection provided increased storminess is a result of residents on the east coast and along
by the defences is predicted to drop climate change, however there is not the estuary were evacuated and sea
below their design level of one in 1,000 enough data at present to distinguish levels rose but none of the barriers
in 2030. In 2000, Jean Venables led this from weather variability. What is were breached.
a committee that created the Thames clear, however, is that storminess is For eight years the TE2100 team,
Estuary 2100 (TE2100) project. now more frequent and beginning led by the Environment Agency,
She explains, “TE2100 was set up to to follow patterns and that sea level carried out detailed research about
look at the next generation of flood will continue to rise. Jean comments, the estuary. Jean remained involved
defences, managing tidal flood risk “These forecasts of rising sea levels with the project as the chair of an
through London and the Thames make the work of the TE2100 vital to expert panel to guide and support the
Jean Venables OBE, FREng, President of the Institution of Civil
Engineers, talks to Exchange about flood risk management on the River
Thames – a topic she has been a leading authority on for many years.
06 exchange Summer 2009 | www.scottwilson.com
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