FLOODsite (Integrated Flood Risk Analysis and Management Methodologies) – Research Relevant to the Dams Industry?

The FLOODsite Project is an Integrated Project under the EC 6th Framework Programme (www.floodsite.net). The project value is ∼€14M and is being implemented by 36 partner organisations, drawn from 13 different participating countries. To achieve the goal of integrated flood risk management, FLOODsite brings together managers, researchers and practitioners from a range of government, commercial and research organisations, all devoted to various, but complementary, aspects of flood risk management.

The FLOODsite project covers the physical, environmental, ecological and socio-economic aspects of floods from rivers, estuaries and the sea. Work is divided into over 30 project tasks with pilot applications in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. Many of the topics of research and the tools being developed are directly or indirectly relevant to the dams industry, since they address common issues such as hydraulic loading, structure performance, flood risk management, dealing with uncertainty and training / uptake of knowledge. Specific examples of research included within these areas are analysis of extreme loading conditions, breach initiation and formation, social, environmental and economic impacts, pre- event and event management, analysis of flood defence systems and dealing with modelling and decision uncertainty.

This paper provides a brief introduction to the FLOODsite Project and highlights key areas where the research is of relevance to the UK dams industry.

• What is Floodsite

• Relevance to the UK Dams Industry?

• Opportunities for the Dams Industry?

• Conclusions

• Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

• References