Hard work – and
opportunities too
International consultancy Hyder is taking a very active role at IWEX
2010 as lead sponsor for the whole Sustainabilitylive! event, for the
second year running. Natasha Wiseman asked director of water
environment, Bob Sargent, to share his view on the industry
B
ob Sargent sees IWEX and
Sustainabilitylive! as the ideal event to
communicate the company’s cross-
disciplinary expertise on the environment and
water management. He is also taking to the
stage in the seminar theatre to share his views
on the Flood & Water Management Bill. I asked
him for some of his thoughts in advance of the
big event.
“I think it's a bit unfortunate that having
waited so long for this bill that it’s come along in
a bit of a rush,” he said. “At least it’s on the agenda
and both parties say it’s important.”
However, he cautioned, local authorities are
still poorly resourced for their enhanced role.
“There’s far too much to do, and not enough
Hyder is working to prevent further flooding in Romania
people to do it.” He admits that this creates good
opportunities for consultancies, but warns, “The flood risk assessment (SFRA), the water cycle eastern Romania that is changing the country’s
authorities don’t have very much money to do it studies and the SWMPs. SFRAs input into the approach to water management.
with either.” planning process, so it says broadly which areas “Floods were managed with extensive river
Sargent is an external examiner for courses in can be developed and which ones should go embankments and reservoir storage that is no
river and coastal engineering, which Defra is ahead of others. Local authorities need that and longer sufficient to prevent towns being
funding for local authority staff at the University they’ve been procuring them for a while. inundated periodically. They wanted us to look at
of West England. “It’s a start,” he says positively, “Then for the ones in the designated growth what else they could do to manage rivers better,
“but there has been a long decline in the local points, there are lots of water cycle studies going reduce flood risk and to propose projects which
authorities and it’s going to take a long time to on, looking at the constraints to development, they could seek EU funding for.
get back up to some level of expertise. one of which is flooding. And then a surface “We’re proposing in many cases to take river
“I think all the local authorities are doing what water plan as well. And I think if you put those embankments away and reconnect rivers to their
they can but I was rather hoping that flooding three together, you save a lot of time and money, floodplains so they can store flood water and to
would be funded on a more regular basis rather compared to doing them separately.” manage the land better,” he explained.
than the one-off funding that’s going on now. Work with the water companies is a £20M part However, where there are really priority risk
Anyone who takes on this work needs to of Hyder’s business and Sargent says that a areas, engineering work is already under way and
have some way in which they can fund it on a hiatus has occurred this year as work for AMP5 flood warning systems are also being developed.
regular basis.” period has been held back at the same time as Sargent reveals that the main challenge
recession has been hitting business. He admits in Romania is bureaucracy, with payment being
Water management that “this has come at the worst time possible,” a particularly slow process. However, the local
Hyder is already involved in surface water and that, like other consultancies, the company knowledge that has been provided by Hyder’s
management planning for parts of Bristol and is has had to lose some skilled staff. partner in the country, Romair Consulting, has
currently tendering for the rest. In Peterborough However, looking forward, Sargent anticipates been invaluable.
the company has been able to take a more more work removing surface water from the Sargent told me that the EU’s flood directive
SUPPLEMENT
joined up approach because the town has had a sewerage network, an area the consultancy has means that there is a lot of international
water cycle study and a surface water been working closely with Welsh Water to consultancy work in the offing and that UK
management plan (SWMP) and one for green address. “We’ve got about 20 people within consultancies are well placed provide expertise:
infrastructure too. Welsh Water doing that work,” he told me, “and “The flood mapping we’ve got is better than
Sargent advocates a cohesive approach to we’ve been asked to see if we can help South what exists in most of Eastern Europe,” he said,
surface water planning, but he admits that the West Water and Anglian are interested as well.” also praising UK approaches to green
best way of doing that is still emerging. He also engineering and flood warning systems.
NEWS AND WWT
warns that local authorities making water International growth
management decisions based too strongly on Hyder is certainly not standing still and growth in Hyder Consulting can be found on Stand F35 in
price may not get the best solution. its international water business is strong. Sargent Sustainable Business @ Sustainabilitylive!
“There are three things that local authorities is project director for a 25-year plan for flood Bob Sargent will be speaking at 11.10am on
8 A WET are trying to buy,” Sargent explained, “strategic management in the Danube catchment in April 20 in the IWEX Theatre
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