Delivering flood and coastal schemes and projects: Funding and partnerships -Opportunities and emerging lessons. London, 30 January 2013

Posted on: 19 February 2013
By: mackene
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This is the annual conference of the CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) Rivers and Coastal Group. Presentations are available online.

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Sustainable drainage systems: Maximising the potential for people and wildlife

Posted on: 12 February 2013
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The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust have produced a new guide to Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems for local authorities and developers. This guidance is aimed at local authorities, (and eventual SuDS Approving Bodies (SABs)), landscape architects, developers, engineers, masterplanners and anyone wishing to deliver benefits for people and wildlife through SuDS. It describes how to maximise the biodiversity potential of SuDS and identifies a set of design criteria and the design features required to deliver these benefits as well as their long-term management.

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Draft Water Bill

Posted on: 4 February 2013
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The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee has published the outcomes of an inquiry into Government plans for more competition in water market. The MPs highlight the importance of managing our water resources sustainably and efficiently. They recommend that encouraging sustainable development be elevated to a primary duty of the regulator and that the Government brings forward legislation to enable the abstraction regime to be reformed by 2022. The Committee adds that successive governments have ‘lacked the tenacity and resolution’ to implement recommendations outstanding from Sir Michael Pitt’s review of the 2007 summer floods and provisions in the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. It recommends that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs sets out a timetable for their full implementation.

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38th International Symposium on Water Supply and Drainage for Buildings. Edinburgh, 27-28 August 2012

Posted on: 30 January 2013
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Proceedings are available from the above  event, containing 51 papers reflecting current research on the following areas: hot and cold water supply and demand; above ground and roof drainage; rainwater and waste water re-use; public health engineering; sanitary appliance provision; and codes and standards.

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Water regulation: Understanding the opportunities of innovation and change. London, 15 November 2012

Posted on: 2 January 2013
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The aim of this conference was to provide an overview of the current issues driving water regulation and exploring the implications for practitioners for planning and practice in relation to the current price review and future project delivery. Presentations are available online.

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Sustainable solutions: Raising the water mark

Posted on: 3 December 2012
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Drawing together ten experts from across the water arena, this latest Westminster Sustainable Business Forum publication provides a platform for those involved to share their views and commentary on specific areas within the water sector. The collection of essays comprise a range of informed ideas about how to improve the water supply chain, expand debate beyond the scope of the draft Water Bill and create more sustainable policy within the water sector.

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European waters: Current status and future challenges

Posted on: 26 November 2012
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This report is a synthesis of the main messages from nine European Environment Agency (EEA) reports dealing directly or indirectly with water ecosystems or the pressures acting upon them. It is the last in the series of reports published by the EEA in support of water year 2012. It seeks to first provide an overview of the state of Europe’s waters and the pressures acting on those waters. It then looks in greater detail at the economic and social factors driving these pressures, and concludes with a summary of the societal and policy challenges that must be met if water is to be managed sustainably.

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Tackling water pollution from the urban environment

Posted on: 22 November 2012
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This consultation seeks views on developing Defra’s strategy for the management of urban diffuse water pollution in England. Comments are requested by 8 February 2013.

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10th International Conference People, Buildings and Environment. Lednice, Czech Republic, 7-9 November 2012

Posted on: 20 November 2012
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The conference covers four research topics. This year’s topics include: construction economics and management: water management and water structures; landscape management; and university teaching and learning of civil engineering. The full conference proceedings are available online.

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A water blueprint: Taking stock moving forward

Posted on: 16 November 2012
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The European Commission has adopted a package of documents designed to ensure that a sufficient quantity of good quality water is available for people’s needs, the economy and the environment throughout the EU.

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