CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management)

I'm delighted to be a judge on this year's UK Junior Water Prize organised by CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management), in partnership with Arup and Jacobs. "This prize challenges young people in STEM to develop innovative yet practical solutions to our global water crisis. The winning UK entry will go on an all-expenses paid trip to represent the UK and their school at the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition in Sweden, with a chance to win the grand prize of US$15,000! Minimum entry requirements - Aged 15-18 - Based in the UK - In secondary education when research was conducted - Max. 2 co-applicants Important dates Submissions open: 23 February Application deadline: Tuesday 5 May (NB: 9am!) Jury interview: one day in the week of 25 May* Winner notified: 29 May Winner announcement: 9 June, at CIWEM's Flood & Coast conference International competition: 22-27 Aug* *You will need to be available on these dates. We will work with you as much as possible to avoid any clashes with exams. Project stages Consult the full UKJWP student handbook for entry guidelines (see further down) Choose a topic to research Decide on a key hypothesis Collate background information Conduct experiments & research Analyse the results Proofread and finetune your paper What you need to prepare Your application should include your research paper of max. 20 pages, and an abstract of max. 200 words. If your application is shortlisted, you will be asked to present your project to the jury in person. If the jury names you the winner, you will have to create a digital academic poster and 1-minute video pitch for the international round. If you have any questions, you can contact the team at awards@ciwem.org. If you are an undergraduate student, you may be interested in applying for our University Cohort instead (deadline 25 March)". What a fantastic opportunity! Spread the word. #NextGeneration #UKJuniorWaterPrize2026

We're very pleased to share our 'spongy landscapes' report 🚜 This new report makes the case for managing our rural landscapes in a way that absorbs, stores and filters water – like a sponge – for the benefit of water resources, river health and flood risk reduction, as well as farm productivity and biodiversity. 🌟 The report draws from eight 'spongy landscape pioneers' – farmers or those working with farmers – that are managing their land with water in mind. From the arable fields of eastern England, to the peaty glens of northeast Scotland, these pioneers demonstrate the significant benefits that can be delivered for farms, other businesses, downstream communities and wider society 💧 Based on the experiences from these 'pioneers' the report sets out seven asks of government for mainstreaming these approaches across the farmed landscape. These include: 👉 Ensuring certainty, longevity and adequate funding for Environmental Land Management schemes, supporting all farms to adopt basic measures to improve soil health. 👉 Providing a government-led market framework to catalyse private funding and investment. 👉 Putting landscape resilience at the centre of water white paper reforms, with an independent regional planning function informed by catchment plans, developed with farmer input and based on soil & catchment characteristics. Download the report here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eysa3GSu Cleo Alper Archie Ruggles-Brise Andy Bray Catherine Moncrieff John Curtin

Groundwater levels are high in much of England at the moment with 45 groundwater flood alerts/warnings currently on .gov. High groundwater levels can cause problems for drainage infrastructure both directly and indirectly. Emerging Groundwater & Urban Infrastructure – 7 May 2026, Birmingham Coming together to future proof drainage systems and our communities 💧Registration open: https://lnkd.in/eFdt7Sww 💧 Our upcoming one-day conference will bring together professionals from a range of sectors to understand how interactions between groundwater and urban infrastructure affects drainage systems and to work collaboratively to identify and scope out integrated solutions. The problems need holistic solutions because of the interaction between the different components and the risk of unexpected consequences of actions taken in isolation. 📢 Register now to collaboratively address these problems: https://lnkd.in/enyri7q3 Hosted by CIWEM's Urban Drainage Group and the Hydrogeology Group of The Geological Society Flood alerts and warnings for England: https://lnkd.in/di6S4KdM CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) CIWEM UDG - NEW MEMBERS

👋 Join us at #FloodandCoast26 this June We're excited to be joining attendees from across the #FCERM community in #Liverpool from 09-11 June for Flood & Coast 2026. Throughout the three-day conference and exhibition, you'll find JBA colleagues presenting as part of the main programme, hosting industry-led sessions, facilitating workshops and taking to the Critical People Skills and Technical Skills stages. We'll also have a strong presence in the exhibition hall, with delegates from across our disciplines in attendance - as well as colleagues from JBA Bentley, who you'll find on stand H7/H8. Browse the full conference programme here: https://lnkd.in/emaQ4w_e CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) Exhibition Centre Liverpool #FC2026 #CIWEM #FCERM

It was great to take part in this event last Thursday, together with Enabling Water Smart Communities, the Building Centre, CIWEM Events team and others. The event brought together water companies, housing developers, government, community organisations and more to learn, share and discuss how we can tackle problems of too much and too little water, and enable water-smart housing growth in the UK. ➡️ Learn more about the #EWSC project: https://www.ewsc.org.uk/

When you think that water sources are essentially derived from our landscape, and that nearly 70% of the UK is farmland, what happens to rain that falls on our rural landscape matters very much to river health and water resources. That's why CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) is promoting the concept of 'spongy landscapes' - landscapes that absorb, retain and filter water - for improved water quality, flood risk reduction, water security and wider climate resilience. On Monday we hosted a webinar to launch our 'spongy landscapes' policy report. Huge thanks to the 'spongy landscapes pioneers' - farmers or those working with farmers - who shared their experiences improving soil health and using nature-based features to increasing the resilience of farmed landscapes. Cleo Alper South East Rivers Trust, Thomas Myerscough @Wyre Rivers Trust, Andy Bray Calder Rivers Trust, Archie Ruggles-Brise, @Danny Coffey Affinity Water. And thank you to our chair, CIWEM president John Curtin Some takeaways: 🌿 There is a huge opportunity to increase soil moisture retention across the farmed landscaped by improving soil health.  💰 In many places businesses and utilities face operational climate/water risks and could pay for the benefits of a spongy, resilient landscape - our pioneers demonstrated examples from the water sector, rail infrastructure and food & drink sector. 🪙 Government needs to support all farms to take up basic measures but also enable private sector markets to flourish.... Check out our report for detailed recommendations for how we can embed spongy, resilient measures across our farmed landscape. ➡️ Report available exclusively to CIWEM members here: https://lnkd.in/eNbB6GpV .....and will be available in the public domain next week.

Sharing a preview of this month's 'The Environment' newsletter, with a focus on the wider topic of land management 👇

Book your place on one of our upcoming in-person events and webinars, all happening in the next few weeks. Our branch events programme brings together professionals across the water and environmental sector to share knowledge, tackle challenges and drive progress. Whether you're focused on urban drainage, water reuse, flood resilience or water quality, there’s something for everyone – click the links to book your place: * Development planning and groundwater flood risk: https://lnkd.in/ee4HeSvk * Northern Ireland branch Stanton Cup Golf Outing 2026: https://lnkd.in/eUKJk2dg * Innovation projects in the water sector: wastewater and hydrogen: https://lnkd.in/e2mB_rmC * Reducing capital carbon in infrastructure: https://lnkd.in/e2mi7adW * Urban Drainage Group training day - Spring 2026: https://lnkd.in/eDnw5AG4 The above are a selection of our upcoming events, but you can find full listings of all our events here: https://lnkd.in/enNWMqjA. And don't forget to book your place for Flood & Coast 2026 - half price tickets for early career professionals are available now!: https://lnkd.in/e2csxnd4 #CIWEM #FloodResilience #UrbanDrainage #FloodandCoast26 #SustainableWaterManagement #NatureBasedSolutions