Groundwater Rising

Claude Nsobya undertook groundbreaking research into the links between community and resilience... with the added dimension of being able to compare data from two countries - Uganda and the UK. Claude was inspired to pursue his research by family experiences of drought in rural communities in Uganda and has continued his academic journey in the UK, culminating in his PhD research, which he talks a...

Adrian Porter joins host Helen to tell the story of hie remarkable journey from being groundwater flooded with devastating effects... to becoming a local flood warden... and eventually re-training to become a water and environment expert... and then getting a role researching and preserving chalk streams. In the first part of this episode we get to hear the dramatic story of how Adrian's own house...

Winterbournes are a type of temporary river that only flow above ground at certain times of year. They are very important in understanding how groundwater works, as well as chalk aquifers. Observing the flora and fauna they support is vital, because it gives clues to a whole variety of environmental patterns, including the effects of pollution, urbanisation and what may happen with climate change....

Rhiannon Marchi-Smith is an independent hydrogeologist specialising in groundwater, mine water, and subsurface risk management. Her work focuses on connecting science, policy, and decision-making regarding underground water resources. Rhiannon has learnt through experience what works when trying to communicate complex science to communities affected by groundwater flooding. She has hard-earned les...

Hazel Cottle is an occupational therapist and mother whose innovative idea, Puddle Parks, reimagines how families engage with the outdoors—especially on rainy days. Her work centres on harnessing the physical and mental health benefits of spending time outside, even in wet weather, inspired by both her clinical experience and her belief in the power of nature to spark joy and connection. In this e...

In her final episode hosting Groundwater Rising (before handing over to new host Helen Banyard), host Katie interviews Matt Georges, founder of Orbital Applied Economics about mental health and flooding. Historically, investment in flood prevention and flood defences has mainly been in physical structures. But more and more is being understood about the importance of community flood resilience, an...

After nearly two years of presenting Groundwater Rising, Katie Hargrave-Smith is leaving to pursue a new role (full details in the episode) and hands over the microphone to Helen Banyard. Helen shares her background, including her journey to working within Flooding and Innovation. Katie and Helen discuss everything from the emotional impact of flooding, to areas they want to explore with the podca...

Dr Paul Ellis (Hydrolex) joins host Katie to share his expertise on how groundwater interacts with other water sources. Often, in flooding situations, there is a mistaken assumption that just one source of water is involved. But, understanding how all sources of water - including groundwater (which the least is known about) is vital to understand, plan for and mitigate flooding properly.   Have a...

Dr Sarah Fitton and Simon Wilson (co-authors of upcoming book 'Socially Successful Projects in the Built Environment') join host Katie to properly unpack the term "social value". It's a term that gets used heavily in project applications, reports and mission statements for many flood management projects (including groundwater flooding schemes)... but what does it actually mean and how can it be do...

Host Katie speaks to Ted McCormack, a senior geologist and hydrogeologist at the Geological Survey Ireland (GSI), whose specialism is groundwater, particularly regarding groundwater flooding and turloughs in Ireland.  Ted explains what turloughs are, what karst is and explains how Ireland maps groundwater flood extents, assesses risks, and develops models for flood management. Plus Ted discusses h...

Mary Long-Dhonau OBE (aka 'Flood Mary') is an expert on property flood resilience, having been flooded herself and made it her mission to raise awareness of flood risk and property flood resilience.  Craig Glynn is CEO of Citizens Advice, Bucks and has spent years helping members of the public deal with challenges and issues - working with landlords and renter's rights are areas of expertise for h...

Guy Parker is a technical specialist in groundwater flooding from chalk aquifers with over 20 years experience in flood incident management. In this episode he shares his knowledge and provides a brilliant guide to how chalk works and the unique way it affects groundwater flooding. A huge swathe of the UK sits on top of chalk aquifers and this is a key part of how the nation stays supplied with wa...

Every major project wants to create a legacy, but how is it done? Does it come about organically or should it be planned for and worked towards? If so, when is the right time to talk about it and what are the steps to deliver it? Since - once a project ends - legacy will be what's left behind... shouldn't it be a vital part of any project's design? What are some examples of legacy planning done we...

Sea level rise will be one of the consequences of climate change. It will change the delicate balance between fresh groundwater on the land side and salty sea water in the sea.  What will be the implications for groundwater flooding, coastal communities and coastal ecosystems? How will existing and potential future built infrastructure flood defences react to and affect the changes that sea level...

Vivian Quynh Pham is Knowledge and Benefits Lead at the Environment Agency for the 6-year £200 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovations Programme. Vivian supports 31 Risk Management Authority led projects across England to demonstrate how practical innovative actions can work to improve resilience to flooding and coastal erosion. This role involves harnessing huge amounts of data. Vivian's...

For groundwater flooding to progress from being under-researched and under-prioritised it will need to move the needle on policy, because policy - in a complex relationship with legislation and funding - is what actually gets stuff to happen. But how is policy instigated and how can it be harnessed? This episode aims to find out by talking to two experts with slightly different angles on policy an...

Mike Cowdy and Nora Balboni from McGregor Coxall are working with Project Groundwater to create a framework for resilience in order to achieve the goal of making communities more resilient to groundwater flooding. In this episode they join host Katie to discuss how their work is progressing. Among the many fascinating talking points are the philosophy of "bio-urbanism" and how a holistic non-silo...

Greg Gomez (Software Developer, 3 Sided Cube) and Dr Jonathan Mackay (Hydrogeologist, British Geological Survey) talk to host Katie about the new Project Groundwater Flood Warning system they have built. This new app shows exciting potential for what could be achieved nationally. Community hubs, action plans, alert states, detailed maps and forecasting all feature. Katie gets Greg and Jon to expla...

Hilary Martin and Trevor Kippax from Marlow share their expertise in the positive difference that Flood Groups and Flood Wardens can make to local flood plans, community resilience and emergency response. Whatever type of flooding happens in your area - groundwater or otherwise - local knowledge and support is vital. Local people know who lives where and what their needs are, plus they can spot th...

Due to a calendar quirk (we release an episode on the last Thursday of each month), this episode publishes on Boxing Day... so we decided to make a bit of a different episode to get into the holiday spirit. Katie Hargrave-Smith is usually the host of 'Groundwater Rising' but for this episode the tables have turned and she's the guest. It's a great chance to look back on a successful first 8 months...

Flooding is in the news again as Storm Bert has wreaked havoc in various parts of the UK. We know that climate change makes storm events - and in turn, flooding - more likely. But, as ever... what about groundwater? Will climate change affect the occurrence and magnitude of groundwater flooding in the future? Rachel May is a graduate water resources engineer at Jacobs and recently received a First...

Nature-based Solutions feel like a new thing, but they have actually been around for about 20 years now. In that time they have become a much-talked about source of hope for a new and sustainable way of dealing with flooding. To truly reach their potential, more research and data is need to truly quantify their impact. And, then, there's our favourite question to consider... What about Groundwater...

If you are flooded by Groundwater Flooding - or any other type of flooding - insurance is something you spend a lot of time worrying about. Am I covered? Could the wording of my policy or its level of cover mean I am not covered? Will I get a payout and will it be enough? In this episode we try to cover all the angles of flooding and insurance. Dermot Kehoe explains how re-insurance 'Flood Re' (a...

Groundwater flooding can be infrequent, unpredictable and arrive in combination with other types of flooding - all of this makes it hard to model and predict. But modelling is a key tool in managing other types of flooding such as coastal and fluvial. So, what's being done to improve modelling of groundwater flooding? Dr David Cobby is Senior Associate Director, Water & Environment for Jacobs and...

Chartered Engineer Fola Ogunyoye from TJAY Counsulting Ltd talks to host Katie Hargrave-Smith about how planning and legislation has changed over the years in terms of how it considers all forms of flooding.  He highlights a familiar tale of a distinct lack of information when it comes to groundwater flooding. But, there is hope. Fola is working with Project Groundwater and sees a path to progress...