SC23026 - Section 19 Flood Investigations - (re-tender)

Description

Kent County Council (KCC) is the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) for Kent under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 (the Act). The Flood and Water Management (FWM) team in KCC undertakes the role of LLFA within KCC. As LLFA, KCC has a duty to undertake investigations of floods in the county and publish a report of the investigation, under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. LLFAs may determine the threshold for undertaking a Section 19 investigation, KCC’s policy is that an investigation will be undertaken where: flooding causes internal flooding to 5 or more properties or critical infrastructure assets; the flood mechanism is complex, for instance there are 2 or more sources of flood water or the source or mechanism of the flooding is unclear; or a report is merited. A flood investigation report is a public statement of the circumstances of a flood event and what parties have a role in managing the risks. The investigation is not an in-depth analysis of the flood risk or mechanisms (hydraulic modelling of the risks and mitigation options are not part of the investigation). However, generally, KCC tries to use reports of Section 19 investigations and where appropriate the investigation itself, to raise public awareness of the flood risks and how they arise. We include relevant details of what was flooded, the local infrastructure that provide flood risk management functions, the flood mechanism and any obvious opportunities to manage the risk better. Section 19 investigations include collection and analysis of hydrological data and the compilation of a report that brings together all the relevant information to provide a comprehensive assessment of the flood, its impacts and causes. The FWM team requires support for this role. Keywords: Section 19, flood investigations, consulting