Today, Project Groundwater has published its Flood Experience Questionnaire Summary Report and Community Insights, which shares valuable findings from communities affected by groundwater flooding.
RAB Consultants are proud to have played a key role in this work, leading the Resilience Workstream and supporting the programme from community engagement and questionnaire development through to the identification and assessment of properties for Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures.
What is Project Groundwater and what is RAB Consultants’ role?
Project Groundwater is a project funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes which is managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.
Project Groundwater supports communities to be more resilient to groundwater flooding. The six-year programme is led by Buckinghamshire Council, in partnership with five other local authorities and Flood Community Groups, and is working with communities across nine high-risk areas of the Chiltern Hills and Berkshire Downs.
RAB Consultants are proudly leading the Resilience Workstream for Project Groundwater.
Why is Understanding Groundwater Flooding Important?
Groundwater flooding can be different from flooding from rivers or surface water. It can occur for extended periods of time, may be difficult to predict and its impacts vary greatly between properties.
As part of the Resilience Workstream, we therefore needed to understand how groundwater flooding has been experienced across the nine communities, including the impacts that may not be immediately visible when looking at flood risk data alone.
Local knowledge and lived experience were particularly important in understanding where support and further investigation could have the greatest benefit.
How was the Flood Experience Questionnaire Developed?
RAB Consultants worked with the Project Groundwater team to develop the Flood Experience Questionnaire (FEQ) and supported distribution across the nine pilot communities. The FEQ provided a proportionate way to gather information about residents’ experiences, impacts and existing resilience measures, while also understanding levels of interest in further support.
What Did the Flood Experience Questionnaire Responses Show?
We analysed the responses received to identify common themes, local differences and key areas where greater awareness, preparedness and resilience support may be needed. The questionnaire received 276 submissions in total, with 248 responses from the nine pilot communities analysed.
How Did the Questionnaire Help Target Property Flood Resilience Support?
The FEQ provided an important screening step for the Property Flood Resilience (PFR) element of the programme. Funding was not available for PFR surveys and delivery of measures for every property at modelled risk of groundwater flooding across all nine communities.
The FEQ therefore helped understand residents’ experiences of groundwater flooding and identify those who had been impacted and wanted to be considered for further PFR support.
From these responses, 73 properties were identified for PFR surveys. The survey findings were then used alongside further screening and eligibility exercises to identify a smaller number of properties where PFR measures were considered likely to provide the greatest benefit and opportunities to explore innovative solutions, enabling the available funding to be targeted effectively.
What Happened After the Flood Experience Questionnaire Assessment?
Following this process, 73 properties were selected for a PFR assessment. RAB Consultants undertook these surveys and produced reports for each property, bringing together the flood hazard assessment, relevant property information and tailored recommendations for measures that could improve resilience.
Following these assessments, some properties have subsequently been selected for PFR measures to be installed, helping to reduce the potential impacts of future groundwater flooding on residents and their homes.
Where Can I Find the Project Groundwater Flood Experience Questionnaire Findings?
A new Project Groundwater webpage brings together the Flood Experience Questionnaire findings, including links to the full technical report and the shorter Community Insights Report. You can view it here
If you would like to learn more about RAB Consultants’ role in Project Groundwater, or require support or advice regarding a groundwater flooding issue, please contact RAB Consultants team by clicking here
