UK: HR Wallingford Helps to Launch International Levee Handbook

On 2 December 2013 HR Wallingford’s Jonathan Simm will be helping to launch the first International Levee Handbook at a joint Institution of Civil Engineers and CIRIA event in London, UK.

The role of levees in flood defences has received increased attention in recent years, mainly due to events such as hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the USA, the Xynthia storm in France, flooding in Southern Pakistan and events along the Mississippi in 2011. When levees fail during such events, it is no surprise that huge amounts of money and time end up being spent on building new levees, or repairing existing structures. These events have raised many questions about management practice, resource commitment and their general suitability as flood defences.

HR Wallingford helped to develop the guidance on levees that pulled together international knowledge and experience into a single, comprehensive handbook. This was the first time there had been such extensive international collaboration on this subject, with 60 authors contributing from across six countries. The aim of the resulting 1300+ page International Levee Handbook, published by CIRIA, is to provide practitioners with the tools and knowledge needed for sustainable levee design, construction and management.

HR Wallingford Technical Director, Jonathan Simm, the technical lead for the project, said: “The UK launch of the handbook is a proud moment for the technical team. Some of the most valuable outcomes of this project have been the building of international knowledge and relationships, and the sharing of ideas for the future on levee design, monitoring and maintenance. I hope that the International Levee Handbook will be a key reference on the subject and prove useful for many years to come.”

Jonathan Simm went on to say, “Our lead role in this project, from its inception, reflects HR Wallingford’s position as world leader in the development and application of state of the art approaches to flood risk management.”

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Press Release, November 29, 2013