Using sediment as a resource
Last week we had an exciting opportunity to present at a virtual event organised by Platform Baggernet. The International webinar ‘Dredging As a Resource’ was organised in combination with the final symposium of the Interreg2seas project ‘Using Sediment As a Resource’ USAR, on the 8th October 2020. The team at Exo has been involved with the USAR project for the last 5 years and we take great pride in what we have achieved alongside with Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners. USAR identifies, demonstrates and tests new methods and develops the business models and tools for water managers to achieve a circular approach to sediment management, something we really believe is the way forward in coastal management.
Working in such a large international project has had its challenges but has also been a tremendous opportunity to learn and innovate. The cooperation with Dutch Regional Water Authority of Schieland and the Krimpenerwaard; Flemish Waterway (BE), Armines Research Centre (FR), Westcountry Rivers Trust (UK) and Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners (UK) led to some excellent examples of nature inclusive design and NBS, as well as highlighting there is still a long way to go to overcome some barriers deeply embedded in national legislations. (more information on https://exo-env.co.uk/usar/)
Main outputs of the USAR-project that were presented during the symposium, are an inventory catalogue of possible uses of sediment as a resource (WikiSed), a Sediment Recycling Strategy for partner territories and an Operational Sediment Management System (OSMS): an ICT-tool for water managers to make business cases and management decisions for recycling of sediment. Check out the USAR Summary report we’ve produced, which highlights all the main findings of this four year project!
In order to make the digital event as engaging as possible, we have used our excellent Exo marketing team to create visual content summarising our work on the project. It’s difficult to cover all Exo has worked on as project managers and principle designers for Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners since 2016, but we believe the following project video gives a pretty good overview. Check it out and don’t forget to subscribe 😊!
William from Exo also hosted the workshop on Innovation in Using Sediment As a Resource. The workshop defined ‘Innovation’ and discussed five examples of innovative use of dredged material, including showcasing our latest GeoBlockTM Technology video. The webinar was an excellent way to catch up with waterways managers, and we received some excellent feedback from the participants. We are looking forward to the next opportunity to promote our innovative ways of working with nature.
