Reservoir Safety: Bewl Reservoir Drawdown project | WEBINAR

Hosted by the CIWEM South Eastern branch

Event description

Structural failure represents the most significant resilience risk for impounding reservoirs.

The Bewl Surface Water Reservoir Drawdown Project is a major dam safety upgrade delivered by Southern Water and its delivery partner CMDP+ at Bewl Water in Kent – the largest stretch of open water in the South East.

The purpose of the Bewl project was highlighted by the Toddbrook spillway incident in 2019; the Bewl project enhances dam safety, emergency response capability, and regulatory compliance under the Reservoirs Act 1975. It addresses risks identified by a Qualified Civil Engineer, supporting both structural integrity and long term water resource resilience.

A central feature of the scheme is the installation of three large siphon pipes over the dam, enabling a rapid, safe, and controlled reservoir drawdown. This significantly improves Southern Water’s ability to respond to potential safety incidents, allowing the reservoir water level to be reduced by up to 5 metres within five days.

Construction of the project was completed in December 2025, with commissioning finalised in the first half of 2026.

This CIWEM event brings together speakers from Southern Water, CMDP+, and Stantec to share insights into the drivers for the dam safety upgrade, the complex engineering and design challenges involved, and how environmental enhancements were integrated alongside safety improvements. The session will be of interest to professionals involved in dam safety, water infrastructure, asset management, and climate resilience.

Part of the CIWEM Water Resources series.

Who should attend this webinar

• Those involved in water infrastructure planning, delivery, and asset management
• Dam safety and reservoir engineers
• Civil and structural engineers
• Those working on projects on infrastructure environmental enhancements and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)
• Water resource and regulatory compliance managers
• Project Managers, consultants, and contractors working in the water sector

Why should you attend this webinar

• Gain insight into a major UK dam safety upgrade: Learn why the Bewl Surface Water Reservoir Drawdown Project was commissioned, the risks it addresses, and how it responds to lessons from the Toddbrook incident and the UK‑wide reservoir safety review.
• Understand complex reservoir engineering and design solutions: Hear directly from the client, delivery partner, and designer on how large‑scale siphon drawdown systems were engineered to enable rapid, safe, and controlled reservoir level reduction.
• Learn how safety and environmental outcomes were integrated: Discover how environmental enhancements were embedded alongside dam safety improvements, balancing engineering requirements with environmental and ecological considerations.
• Support your professional development: Suitable for one hour of CPD, this event provides valuable learning for water, infrastructure, and environmental professionals working on complex, safety‑critical assets.

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About the speaker(s) and chair

Chris Janes | Project Manager | Southern Water

Jon Troke | All Reservoirs Panel Engineer | Stantec

Ian Bentley | Construction and Delivery Lead | CMDP+

Caroline Dugard | Environmental Manager | CMDP+

Booking and joining information

This event is open to members and non-members of CIWEM. The webinar is hosted on the Zoom platform and will be recorded.

Please register your place by clicking on the registration button. Non-members who have not registered for the CIWEM system can create an account on the booking page in order to reserve their place. This should not take more than two minutes.

If you have any questions about your booking or would like to cancel your attendance, please contact branches@ciwem.org.

Please note that registrations will close at 09:00 on the day of the event. If you have not registered before that time, unfortunately we cannot add you to the event.

If you have any queries about this talk, please contact Chris Janes at christopher.janes@southernwater.co.uk.