ARCHIVE: Upper Rea pilot summary

Integrated Urban Drainage Pilots LogoLocal authority: Birmingham city council

The Upper Rea Pilot project has investigated the viability of greater integration in urban drainage management using the south-west of Birmingham as the study area. Significant attention was given to the redevelopment of the former MG Rover site which is at the heart of the study area and straddles the River Rea.

There are two distinct strands to this project. Firstly the detailed analysis of the technical and physical flooding risk within the catchment. Secondly the detailed investigation of current stakeholder frustrations with urban drainage management. 

The pilot study has provided an opportunity to undertake a catchment wide analysis of the pluvial flood risk using overland flow modelling and the fluvial and sewer flood risk by the creation of a strategic sewer and river model (SSRM). The modelling tools that have been developed have been used as strategic models to highlight areas of the catchment that currently have a high risk of flooding.

Due to the present complex responsibility arrangements for managing surface water and the historical development of the study area, the stakeholder element of the project largely focussed on providing the evidence that the current approach is insufficient for coping with current and future levels of urban flood risk. This has been achieved through a series of workshops and regular project stakeholder meetings which have demonstrated how stakeholder engagement can be maximised to achieve integrated urban drainage management.

The Upper Rea Integrated Urban Drainage Pilot project has been successful in cementing new relationships and generating a sense of inclusiveness with stakeholders. The project has produced analytical tools for the catchment that vastly improve current understanding of the stakeholders as to how the catchment operates and helps provide evidence to assist the development of a way forward.

The project has thoroughly investigated the issues around integrated urban drainage management and identified the barriers to success. It is not possible to confirm or implement solutions in all cases. The project has, however, detailed the issues and arrived at a number of significant recommendations and numerous fixes for smaller issues.

Outputs

Page last modified: 18 November 2008
Page published: 5 March 2007