The ICE’s (Institute of Civil Engineers) Autumn Prestige Lecture – the James Forrest Lecture was a fantastic opportunity for industry professionals to come together and discuss the importance of an integrated and collaborative approach to tackle storm overflows.
The release of storm overflows into our rivers and seas has become a major issue of public concern that requires urgent actions, solutions and new ways of thinking. From all corners, there are calls for the water industry, its supply chain, and partners to tackle the problem in partnership.
This is because the challenge is complex – driven by many factors from climate change and urban creep (creating more hard surfaces in the community) which cause greater volumes of water runoff into the network, to an ageing infrastructure and skill gaps to tackle future issues. We need to work together to apply digital, technological and nature-based solutions if we are to make a lasting difference.
Dr Nick Mills from our Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force delivered the Key Note Speech, driving home the importance of cross industry collaboration as well as the impact of our Pathfinder approach, open data sharing and the use of AI.
We would like to thank ICE for inviting Dr Mills to be a part of such an impactful and important event. We hope the attendees were inspired to consider using green interventions, and look beyond the traditional end of pipe solutions when tackling this challenge and others across various industries.
The spirit of collaboration was very much present in the room, and we hope this will create a ripple effect of change for the future, joining different industries together to make a bigger difference in our shared goal to reduce storm overflows.
Watch the live recording of the lecture, or read our blog here.