Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Thames Estuary 2100 - a Plan Just Beginning

Also on the ThamesWeb site is a description (though no current status report) of Thames Estuary 2100, a planning project aimed at mitigating flooding beyond the capacity of current efforts (which include the Barrier for regulating storm and tidal surges that could flood London).

Sponsored by the government's Environment Agency, the Thames Estuary 2100 (TE2100) "is developing a tidal flood risk management plan for London and the Thames estuary." In 2006 the public was invited to participate in an online consultation about the project. The contingencies presented to participants in this dialogue are presented here. Suggested defense measures include planned and dedicated flooded areas and the construction of more and larger Barrier-like gates.

In web site copy apparently not updated since the latest flooding, the project was further described:

Although London's existing tidal defences offer a high level of protection from today's flood risks, they were only designed to provide protection up until 2030. While slight modifications to these defences could extend their useful life by a few more years, the need for a long-term, strategic look at London's flood defences is becoming increasingly apparent. Thames Estuary 2100 is the first step of the process and will help shape the way in which future flood defence schemes are designed and managed. Taking action now will allow time for research, design and the physical construction of the defences.

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