Watertight Joins the Prospect Resilience Series

This week, our CEO Gareth Boyd, attended the latest Prospect Resilience Series roundtable, which focused on Drainage and Wastewater Resilience.

Hosted by Southern Water and chaired by Jon Bernstein of Prospect Magazine under the Chatham House Rule, the session brought together industry leaders, policymakers and practitioners to explore how the UK can strengthen its essential drainage and wastewater systems in the face of increasing environmental, technological and social pressures.

The discussion formed part of the wider Prospect Resilience Series, which examines how resilient the UK truly is across its critical systems — and what needs to change to prepare for future shocks.

Framing Resilience as an Investment

For Gareth, the opportunity to contribute to the conversation around Property Flood Resilience (PFR) and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) was particularly valuable.

A key theme of the discussion was the difference small, targeted interventions can make when implemented at scale. Whether it’s property-level measures, better surface water management or thoughtful integration of SuDS, incremental improvements can collectively have a significant impact on long-term resilience.

Another important message was the need to reframe resilience. Too often it is viewed as a cost. In reality, resilience is an investment; in communities, infrastructure, businesses and future stability.

A Room of Industry Leaders

The roundtable brought together representatives from Southern Water, Mott MacDonald, Water UK, the Environment Agency, NFU (National Farmers’ Union), Imperial College London, Arup, The ABI, CIWEM and Watertight International.

The breadth of expertise in the room reflected the complexity of the challenge. Drainage and wastewater resilience does not sit within one organisation or discipline but requires collaboration across engineering, policy, insurance, academia and environmental management.

Events such as the Prospect Resilience Series provide an important platform for open, honest discussion about where the UK stands and where it needs to go.

As flooding risk continues to increase, conversations around integrated water management, proportional intervention and practical implementation will only become more important.

We’re pleased to have been part of the discussion and look forward to continuing the conversation.

Find out more about the Prospect Resilience Series here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/press-room/71578/prospect-launches-the-resilience-series