Water management planning

UK water resources

Halcrow has particular experience in the UK water resources planning system, having been engaged intimately in the last two National Water Resource Strategy studies. We have also developed regional water resources strategies and have undertaken many smaller commissions for individual water resource plans, drought contingency plans and have also investigated many local water resource development options.

Halcrow is at the forefront of integrated catchment modelling and surface water/groundwater interactions. Such work seeks to balance water supply, social, and other water needs within a river catchment, in relation to water use and for different water use categories. Integration of surface water and groundwater flow responses can be represented by physically based distributed catchment models, which simulate catchment response holistically. Thus all the conflicting demands imposed on a catchment can be addressed to reach a solution that is both acceptable to stakeholders, and sustainable.

Halcrow staff are familiar with current methods for assessing deployable outputs, demand forecasting, and with water efficiency measures including demand management and leakage control techniques. Through Halcrow Water Services, our joint venture with Mid Kent Water, we are able to bring operational perspective to resource planning and management.

Halcrow has been involved in a wide range of water resource management studies to improve environmental protection. These routinely involve integrated groundwater/surface water behavioural analysis and modelling. In direct reference to the WFD Halcrow, in conjunction with Entec, has assisted the Environment Agency to develop methods for the implementation of abstraction management strategies to assess water resource availability at catchment level in England and Wales.