Latest News
Discover the latest news, updates and industry views from Envireau Water, covering a range of sectors.
Discover the latest news, updates and industry views from Enivreau Water, covering a range of sectors.
Envireau News
Envireau News
By Rachael Plant
•
May 7, 2025
At Envireau Water , all of our locations reflect a hub of innovation and expertise, and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to reintroduce our friendly team, starting in Scotland! Having established our Scottish office almost 5 years ago, our team continues to flourish and reflect the growing demand for water resource consultancy throughout Scotland, particularly within the food and drink and minerals sector. Keep reading to find out more about our water experts! Chris Woodhouse : Principal Hydrogeologist Chris joined us in early 2021 and leads our team in Scotland. A Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Institute of Quarrying, Chris has over 13 years of technical experience across a range of areas, from water supply development and dewatering assessments to effluent discharge and flood risk management. Chris oversees projects primarily in the minerals and quarrying and waste and distilling industries and also provides expertise on projects across the UK, primarily in the minerals and waste sectors.
By Rachael Plant
•
April 30, 2025
Understanding both current and future flood risk in Wales is essential for helping planners, developers and landowners understand how flood risk is assessed within the planning process, ensuring that new developments are resilient and sustainable. Originally published in 2004, the Welsh Government recently published a significantly revised Technical Advice Note (TAN) 15 on 31st March, detailing critical changes to flood risk guidance. What are the key updates? Development types: The classification of development types has been updated and expanded. Categories now include Highly Vulnerable, Less Vulnerable, and Water-Compatible developments. Examples of Highly Vulnerable uses include all residential buildings, hospitals, schools, and emergency services infrastructure. This classification determines where development may be acceptable depending on the level of flood risk.
Envireau News
Envireau News
By Rachael Plant
•
May 7, 2025
At Envireau Water , all of our locations reflect a hub of innovation and expertise, and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to reintroduce our friendly team, starting in Scotland! Having established our Scottish office almost 5 years ago, our team continues to flourish and reflect the growing demand for water resource consultancy throughout Scotland, particularly within the food and drink and minerals sector. Keep reading to find out more about our water experts! Chris Woodhouse : Principal Hydrogeologist Chris joined us in early 2021 and leads our team in Scotland. A Chartered Geologist and Fellow of the Institute of Quarrying, Chris has over 13 years of technical experience across a range of areas, from water supply development and dewatering assessments to effluent discharge and flood risk management. Chris oversees projects primarily in the minerals and quarrying and waste and distilling industries and also provides expertise on projects across the UK, primarily in the minerals and waste sectors.
By Rachael Plant
•
April 30, 2025
Understanding both current and future flood risk in Wales is essential for helping planners, developers and landowners understand how flood risk is assessed within the planning process, ensuring that new developments are resilient and sustainable. Originally published in 2004, the Welsh Government recently published a significantly revised Technical Advice Note (TAN) 15 on 31st March, detailing critical changes to flood risk guidance. What are the key updates? Development types: The classification of development types has been updated and expanded. Categories now include Highly Vulnerable, Less Vulnerable, and Water-Compatible developments. Examples of Highly Vulnerable uses include all residential buildings, hospitals, schools, and emergency services infrastructure. This classification determines where development may be acceptable depending on the level of flood risk.
By Michael Underwood
•
April 28, 2025
Recently, we were thrilled to team up with Rail Professional to share our insights and expertise on this trade effluent compliance in the Rail Industry, featuring our very own, Michael Underwood! Michael is a Senior Hydrologist at Envireau Water, a specialist water management consultancy. As a Chartered Water and Environmental Manager (C.WEM), Michael has 10 years’ experience in flood risk management and drainage, surface water hydrology, drainage design and river management. He also serves on the committee of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Management (CIWEM) East Midlands Branch.
By Rachael Plant
•
April 8, 2025
Since December 2024, the Environment Agency (EA) have released a series of flood and coastal erosion risk assessment updates, offering a clearer, more comprehensive picture of both current and future flood risk across England. What makes these updates so important? With approximately 6.3 million properties in England at risk of flooding and 3,500 properties at risk of coastal erosion by 2055, these updates are absolutely critical in order for you to protect and enhance your developments against the threat of climate change and extreme weather events. Whether a commercial or residential development, Envireau Water specialise in flood risk management and sustainable drainage solutions across the UK. By leveraging our technical expertise and deep knowledge of the UK regulatory system, we are known for achieving a positive outcome for even the most complex of challenges. Keep reading to find out what these updates mean for you.
By Rachael Plant
•
March 21, 2025
Climate change is an urgent issue we cannot ignore, and requires the collective action of communities across the globe if the worst effects are to be mitigated. From rising sea levels, extreme weather events to a loss of biodiversity, the potential impacts are widespread. However, this world water day, the focus is rightly on glacial preservation - our planet's largest natural freshwater reservoir. Why is it important? At Envireau Water, we recognise the widespread impact that glacial meltwater has across the whole planet, leading to the escalation of more extreme weather events as a result. Not only does this impact the environment with the disruption of ecosystems and water cycles, but also has a profound impact on society and industries reliant on a stable water supply. As a team of water scientists, we have witnessed first-hand the undeniable impact that flooding and drought events have had on the mineral, agricultural, industrial and development sectors, from failing crops and flooded farmland to a halt in distilling operations and delayed development projects, the ripple effects of these events are felt across communities and businesses alike.
By Rachael Plant
•
March 18, 2025
It is safe to say that Envireau Water have had a long line of success stories over our years of operation across our four sectors of expertise, with permitting and licensing being just one of our many service offerings. So, what has fuelled our success? To get some insight, we turned to our Specialist Water Resources team for their perspective. Penny , can you expand on Envireau Water's success in this area? 'Water is a vital resource across many industries, without which they would not be able to operate effectively. However, this does not come without certain regulatory constraints, which must be abided by. That's where we come in.
By Rachael Plant
•
March 11, 2025
Achieving nutrient neutrality is a challenging task, and is one that developers all over the country have battled to achieve over the last 5-6 years. In March 2022, Natural England issued a directive to Local Planning Authorities, County Councils, the Environment Agency, the Planning Inspectorate, Natural Resources Wales, and DLUHC stating that, in specific river catchments, developments should not be permitted if the LPA cannot definitively ensure that it will not adversely impact protected environmental sites due to increased levels of nitrate and/or phosphate. While the current approach is efficient, robust, and objective, it can also be slow, costly, and overly complex—leading to potential project delays and increased expenses for housing developers. To address these challenges, the government released the Planning Reform Working Paper in December 2024. This initiative aims to unlock approximately 28,000 homes across seven areas in England that had been stalled due to nutrient neutrality concerns, backed by £47 million from the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund.
By Rachael Plant
•
February 4, 2025
The second new team member to join us this year, we’re thrilled to welcome Chris Allman to our growing team as a Senior Hydrogeologist!
By Rachael Plant
•
February 4, 2025
As 2024 came to a close, we reflected on a truly remarkable year of progress and innovation for the Envireau Water team. But now, our focus turns to what lies ahead in 2025.
By Rachael Plant
•
January 28, 2025
Understanding current and future flood and coastal erosion risks is essential to help policymakers, developers, practitioners, and communities adapt to a changing climate.
By Rachael Plant
•
January 9, 2025
As we kick off 2025, we are delighted to welcome Thomas Handley to our team as an Environmental Technician.
By Rachael Plant
•
December 18, 2024
As always, the year has flown by, and as we enter our 27th year of operation, what better time to reflect on the successes of 2024.
By Rachael Plant
•
December 9, 2024
Last month, members of our technical team, Shona Symon , Jenny Harrison and Juan Rivera had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the annual Ineson Lecture at Burlington House, London.
By Rachael Plant
•
November 14, 2024
Sophie joined our team at Easter, and the time has flown by! Let’s take a look at what she has been doing during that time… Before starting her career in Envireau Water's water resources team, Sophie completed a BSc in Physical Geography from the University of Edinburgh prior to specialising in Environmental Technology with Integrated Water Management during her MSc at Imperial College London. We can't believe how quickly the last six months have gone, with Sophie already having gained valuable experience across several industries. She has had the opportunity to work on a variety of technical projects, such as water trading assessments for clients in restricted surface and groundwater catchments, environmental impact assessments for several distilleries across Scotland and water abstraction licence applications.
By Rachael Plant
•
October 24, 2024
We're delighted to congratulate Harriet Robson's recent promotion to Principal Water Resources Specialist! Prior to joining our North Yorkshire office in 2022 as a Senior Water Resources Specialist, Harriet began her career in Water Resources with Mott MacDonald and Essex & Suffolk Water after developing a keen interest in water resources management whilst undertaking her MSc at Newcastle University. Since joining Envireau Water, Harriet has not only strengthened our core capabilities in water resources regulation, but has also accomplished several personal milestones, from chairing a National Drought Working Group as part of the Water for Food Group (WFFG), to achieving chartered status as a Chartered Water and Environmental Manager.
By Rachael Plant
•
September 30, 2024
On the 24th of September, members of the Envireau Water team had the pleasure of hosting our first distilling and malting pop-up event, From Source to Spirit: A Distillers Masterclass to a Climate Resilient Water Supply at the prestigious Glenfiddich Distillery in Dufftown, Moray. The event was chaired by our Managing Director, Dr. Phil Ham , who is responsible for the delivery of Envireau Water's water supply projects and has been working closely with the distilling and malting industries for the last 15 years. We caught up with Phil after the event to see what he thought about the day... Phil, what was so special about this year's Envireau Knowledge event? This is the first event that where we have focussed exclusively on the distilling and malting industry.
By Rachael Plant
•
September 20, 2024
You may have noticed our recent news spotlights focusing on the issues affecting Scotland's five whisky regions. With only one day to go until our upcoming conference: From Source to Spirit: A Distiller's Masterclass to a Climate Resilience Water Supply, we asked our Senior Hydrogeologist, Shona Symon to take it one step further and highlight the issues facing Dufftown itself. Situated in the heart of Scotland's Speyside region, Dufftown is often referred to as the 'Whisky Capital of the World.' This small town is home to six renowned distilleries, including Glenfiddich, Kinninvie, and Balvenie, all of which are recognised for their significant contributions to the Scotch whisky industry, blending tradition and innovation. Shona, can you explain the importance of developing more resilient water sources in the future for Distilleries across Dufftown? Ensuring long-term sustainability and supporting growth at Dufftown’s distilleries relies on the development of more resilient water sources. Climate change poses a significant threat, particularly in the Speyside region, with climate predictions highlighting
By Rachael Plant
•
September 13, 2024
Last week, members of our technical team headed to the University of Hull to attend and exhibit at the 23rd EIG conference.
