Future FRM>The EU Flood Directive – what is it and what will it mean? In recent years flooding has devastated areas of Europe and in summer 2007 parts of the UK sustained £3 billion worth of damage. Across Europe since 1998 more than 700 lives have been lost, half a million people have been displaced and the cost to insurers has topped €25 billion. The consequences of flooding can be extreme and catastrophic, causing lasting economic, social and environmental damage. The threat of flooding appears to be increasing as it continues to impact greater areas and attract a great deal of attention from the press and public alike.

In order to combat the threat of flooding, in late 2007 the European Union published the European Directive on the Assessment and Management of Flood Risks (the Floods Directive).

The main aim of the directive is to help member states prevent and limit floods and their damaging effects on human health, the environment, infrastructure and property.

In the UK Defra is co-ordinating the transposition of the directive into UK law and has set a timescale to include consultation in early 2009. The directive requires member states to prepare the following:

• preliminary flood risk assessments to identify areas that are at potentially significant flood risk, by 2011
• flood hazard maps (showing the likelihood and flow of the potential flooding) and flood risk maps (showing the impact), by 2013
• flood risk management plans (showing measures to decrease the likelihood or impact of flooding), by 2015
• updates every 6 years taking into account the impact of climate change

The directive also aims to establish a platform for coordination with the Water Framework Directive and implement integrated river basin management, in particular during the public consultation of the River Basin Management Plans. All plans, maps and assessments will be available to the public.

Entec has substantial experience of implementing the Water Framework Directive and it is hoped that there will be an opportunity to apply this experience to the Floods Directive alongside the involvement of Entec staff in the creation of flood risk management plans.

Further useful information on the Flood Directive is available from:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/eufldir/default.htm
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/flood_risk/implem.htm
http://www.geoconnexion.com/geo_online_article/A-new-EU-Floods-Directive/191

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