Managing risk and innovation in water infrastructure

Overview

Join us for an in-depth exploration of risk management and innovative solutions in water infrastructure, featuring case studies on historic reservoirs, ground risk mitigation in modern construction, and cutting-edge underwater geomembrane technologies for dams and canals.

You'll hear about the following projects:

Managing risk at Victoria Service Reservoir - Alan Warren

Victoria Reservoir is a reinforced concrete service reservoir located in the heart of Bristol. Constructed in 1914, it is one of the oldest reservoirs of its type in the UK. It was constructed on the site of an earlier open service reservoir. During the second world war, the reservoir was damaged and repaired on account of bombs being dropped on it during the Bristol Blitz. In more recent decades, a series of investigations and repairs have been carried out to assess and maintain its structural condition and operational performance. 

This presentation will describe and discuss the various challenges faced by the operator in managing the safety and operational risks associated with a very old reinforced concrete service reservoir.

Springwell Service Reservoir, managing and effectively mitigating ground risks in design and construction - Dr Mark Edmondson

Northumbrian Water Group appointed Mott MacDonald Bentley to design and construct a 43 ML service reservoir at Springwell, Gateshead, to improve network capacity and resilience. The semi precast concrete structure (100 m × 75 m × 9 m) is largely founded on competent, incompressible sandstone, but its southern third extends over significantly more compressible weathered rock, introducing a risk of early and long-term differential settlement that could compromise structural integrity and safety.

A comprehensive ground investigation and modern 3D digital tools (Leapfrog Works and Settle3) were used to develop a representative ground model and predict settlement behaviour. Initial analyses exceeded tolerable limits, necessitating mitigation. A simple, cost effective and sustainable solution was adopted: an 8 m high monitored surcharge bund constructed from site won materials to pre consolidate the compressible strata.

The presentation describes the design process: iterative 3D settlement analyses in close collaboration with structural engineers; design, implementation and monitoring of surcharging; and back analysis of field data to refine ground stiffness parameters for final structural design. Monitoring throughout phased reservoir construction shows close agreement with early predictions, validating the integrated digital modelling and proactive ground improvement strategy for managing settlement risk on critical water infrastructure.

Recent underwater geomembranes solutions for dams and canals - Vladislav Ivanov

After a brief overview of the available technologies, this presentation will focus on two underwater projects, one in still water and one in flowing water: Studena buttress dam in Bulgaria, where different anchorage systems were used for the geomembrane due to the complex geometry of the dam, and Kembs, part of the Grand Canal d’Alsace, where a geomembrane mattress system, the Sibelonmat®, was installed under flowing water on a trial section, to be followed in 2026 by a 500 m long stretch, always under flowing water conditions.