The Water Expert Panel held its latest visit to ICE’s UK regional and national offices in June 2012, with Panel members receiving a warm welcome to Glasgow from the staff at ICE Scotland. The two-day visit was the latest of these annual events for the Water Panel, following trips to Warwick and Belfast in recent years.
Why do the Panel visit ICE regions?
As a national expert panel, the Water Panel has an objective to promote water engineering throughout the UK, disseminate knowledge to all members and to boost the profile of the Panel and of ICE, both to the membership and beyond. To help achieve this, the Panel arranged an evening of presentations and a site visit for their time in Glasgow.
An evening of presentations – Scotland as a Hydro Nation
On the Day 1 of the visit, Michael Norton, Chair of the Water Panel, and Paul Jowitt, Vice-Chair of ICE Scotland, welcomed a packed auditorium of guests to an evening of presentations on the Hydro Nation concept.
Views were heard from representatives of some of Scotland’s key water organisations who explored Hydro Nation and how it will work in practice. The concept, promoted by Scottish Government, will see Scotland harness its resources to boost the economy and raise its international profile. Delivery will be a key part of Scotland’s transition to a low carbon economy and all the engagement of all those in the water sector is needed for it to be successful. You can learn more about Hydro Nation on the Scottish Government website.
Site Visit – White Cart Flood Prevention Scheme
On Day 2, Panel members visited the sites of the White Cart Flood Prevention Scheme. Representatives of Glasgow City Council, and the contractor for the works, Halcrow, were kind enough to provide a guided tour, and our sincere thanks go to them.
Construction of the scheme was completed in 2011, across three flood storage sites to the south of the city. The scheme allows river flows to be reduced by up to 45% and includes the largest hydrobrake system anywhere in the world. Flood defence walls close to the city centre offer added protection for urban areas threatened by flood events.
All in all, the 2012 visit to Glasgow was another successful annual trip for the Water Panel and has developed links with another region of ICE. Watch this space for plans for 2013!