Biography: Bridget Woods Ballard

Bridget is a fluvial hydrologist and civil engineer, specialising in sustainable approaches to flood risk management. She has been involved in work with Defra on the National SuDS Standards and associated capacity building exercises, and most recently in developing a draft of a British Standard on Surface Water Management. She was also the principal author for the SUDS Manual, published by CIRIA in 2007. Bridget has been involved in all of the SuDS research projects carried out by HR Wallingford for the water industry, the Environment Agency and other government departments covering SuDS performance, liabilities, costs and benefits.

Paper 1: Where we are now (issues and opportunities)?

This presentation will discuss the current draft National SuDS Standards and associated provisions, published in December 2011 to implement the SuDS Sections of the Flood & Water Management Act (2010). It will also reference a draft British Standard due out for public consultation in July.

The talk will focus on the technical criteria specified by the draft Standards, the aims of these criteria in protecting the environment, and key compliance approaches.

Reference will be made to the extent to which the current proposals can support the delivery of local and wider environmental and community objectives, and where further action is potentially required.

The talk will discuss some of the likely future needs of the SuDS Approving Bodies and development planners, working together to ensure that surface water management schemes minimise environmental risks and adoption liabilities, and maximise societal value and climate resilience into the future.