The project area is known for its complex flood risk due to the interplay of river, tidal, groundwater, and surface water sources. Besides the geografic conditions, urbanisation, an old sewer system relying on Victorian sewers and climate change strengthen the thread.
Blue Heart is a 6-year project, funded by Defra`s Flood an Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme (FCRIP). It will run until 2027 and it is lead by Peter Melville-Shreeve, Associate Professor and leader of the Stormwater Intelligence Group in the Centre of Water Systems at the University of Exeter. The project’s engagement and communications are led by Agile Rabbit, a public engagement charity. This work is funded directly from the project budget.
Combining technology and the knowledge and needs of local organizations and people
The project partners adopt smart technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) to establish an integrated water management system for these communities, which will monitor water levels in real-time and incorporate forecasted rainfall to issue flood warnings and alerts, and calculate the optimum response – to either store or release water.
Furthermore, working together with agencies and organizations, talking to people with personal collection to local green and blue spaces and listening to communities and special interest groups will help to find the optimum local solutions.
“Water management rather than flood defense, that is the important thing” says Andy Payne, from the Southdown Angling Society.
Collaborative map
The Blue Heart collaborative map is an online resource, and an invitation for all people to contribute. The originators have three main themes – water, nature and heritage. Together these themes tell the story of people and places in Eastbourne and southern Wealden from different perspectives. Among the points marked in the map are all the sensors that have been installed so far.
This collaborative map shows all points of interest.
Working with schools
The project teams is installing Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in schools in the project area. SuDS mimic natural processes by treating, storing an reusing surface water like nature would have done before urbanization.
Schools are ideal places to implement SuDS. Areas such as playing fields, playgrounds, and even rooftops can be designed to capture rainwater. This collected water can either be stored for later use or temporarily held back until rainfall subsides, which helps prevent flooding and avoids overloading drainage systems.
