Reducing the risks of embankment failure under extreme conditions

A review of monitoring and managing flood and coastal defence embankments to improve their performance and reduce the risk of them failing.

From:
Environment Agency, Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme, and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
16 February 2021
Category:
Whole life asset management
Topics:
Asset maintenance, Asset monitoring, Asset performance, Climate change, Coast, Deterioration, Flood risk assessment, Resilient infrastructure
Project status:
Completed
Project code:
FD2411
Date of completion:
31 March 2004

Documents

Reducing the risks of embankment failure under extreme conditions: a framework for action - technical report (1 MB) PDF

Reducing the risks of embankment failure under extreme conditions: good practice review - technical summary (42 KB) PDF

Reducing the risks of embankment failure under extreme conditions: IMPACT project - technical summary (22 KB) PDF

Management of flood embankments: good practice review - technical report (6 MB) PDF

Soil piping tests on Thorngumbald flood embankment - technical report (953 KB) PDF

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Details

Background

Managing flood embankments in England and Wales is a key activity for the Environment Agency and other operating authorities and owners. However, not much national guidance was available to practitioners on the management of flood embankments at the time of the floods in Autumn 2000.

Objectives

This project aimed to understand the issues related to how well flood and coastal defence embankments perform in order to reduce the risk of them failing. This can be done through better monitoring and management, taking into account the extra pressures placed on defences due to climate change.

Outcome

This project:

  • draws together guidance on good practice for managing flood embankments
  • identifies and prioritises research and other activities required to improve how flood embankments are managed in the future

It includes a good practice guide for flood risk management practitioners. It gives an overview of the issues that can affect the performance of flood embankments and provides guidance on how to design, operate and manage them.

The technical report recommends 12 areas for action to improve how flood embankments are managed and to reduce the risk of them failing under extreme conditions.

The project also includes:

  • the UK contribution to the EC FP5 IMPACT project - this explored how to assess and reduce risks from extreme flooding caused by dams and flood embankments failing
  • an investigation of soil fissuring and piping in flood embankments in the Humber Estuary at the Thorngumbald managed retreat site

This project ran from 2001 to 2004 at a cost of £433,010.

Published 16 February 2021
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