Date: 19 Nov 2021
Upcoming Nature Based SUDS Webinar
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Local Authorities Water Programme (LAWPRO) and the County and City Management Association (CCMA) have established a project to promote the implementation of nature-based surface water management solutions to our cities and towns.
A webinar will be taking place on November 30th 2021 at 11am and will be launched by Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan.
This webinar will include speakers from Wales and Ireland who will provide practical examples and details of the following outputs from the project and the consultation exercise.
1. The Scoping Report with a roadmap of proposed steps towards the implementation of nature-based solutions.
2. Launch the Interim Guidance Document.
You can find out more about the webinar HERE
Background
The dramatic events that arise with climate change, in this context, heavy rainfall have brought the need to sustainable water management in urban areas front and centre. By adopting a water-based management approach, efforts are being made to reduce the risk of flooding, protect biodiversity, enhance water quality and align with climate adaptation and mitigation measures.
A workshop was held in November 2020 to grasp the potential for Nature Based Surface Water Management in Ireland. The event had approximately 500 people in attendance. Feedback from the attendees at the webinar concluded that Nature Based SUDS would drastically benefit water, climate adaptation, biodiversity and human well-being objectives. However, 81% of respondents believed that Nature Based SUDS were not being sufficiently implemented in Ireland. Upgrades in factors such as policies, legislation, leadership, governance, technical guidance, training, local government capacity and funding were considered necessary by the majority of stakeholders.
The project features the use of Nature Based SUDS-Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems which have already been introduced in other cities worldwide. The Local Authorities as well as a myriad of state agencies, government departments and the private sector have engaged to explore the implementation of SUDS under the project.