The aim of the Rivers & Coastal Group (RCG) is to improve understanding and sustainable management of rivers and coastal environments. We will do this by:
Our work will support and enable the CIWEM vision of “A world in which professionalism and excellence build connections to inspire widespread, impactful water and environmental solutions”.
We will work in line with the values and principles of the CIWEM Strategy: People, Planet, Possibility.
If you are already a member of CIWEM, you can join RCG by logging into ‘My CIWEM’, clicking ‘Special Interest Groups’ and ticking ‘Rivers & Coastal’. This means you will receive our email updates
You can follow our current discussions and activities by joining our group on LinkedIn
You can email us at rcggroup@ciwem.org.uk.
Here is our committee for 2024/25. We renew the positions at our AGM in Autumn each year and we are always looking for new people to join – we are keen to improve our diversity and would love to see a wider range of applications.
Chair
Vice Chair
Junior Vice Chair
Hon. Treasurer
Hon. Secretary
Previous Chair
Coastal Rep
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Any vacancies on the Committee are circulated to River and Coastal Group members via email so keep an eye out if you are interested in joining.
You can also get involved without having to formally join the Committee, by organizing or hosting a local event or webinar for RCG members. Please get in touch at rcggroup@ciwem.org.uk.
Each year, we host three events as well as a variety of webinars and site visits. We are always open to suggestions for topics, speakers and locations, so please contact us with any ideas – we’d love to hear from you: rcggroup@ciwem.org.uk
On 7 March 2025 we hosted the first RCG technical conference in over a decade to mark 75 years of the RCG. It was a great success, with presentations, panel discussions and workshops to an almost sell-out audience. Our theme was uncertainty, and all the sessions wove in the golden thread of overcoming the challenge of uncertainty in putting policy into practice. We talked about a wide variety of topics including changing coasts, property insurance and data quality. Find out more here.
We are starting to plan our 2026 technical conference.
2025 RCG Technical Conference at Arcadis, London
The Rivers and Coastal Group Study Trips bring together river and coastal professionals, both current and aspiring CIWEM members, for a mix of lectures, workshops, site visits and social activities. They are informative, educational and good fun is always had by all! In previous years we have run a mix of local and international visits, including Leeds, Durham, Lancaster and The Netherlands.
Our last Study Day in October 2024 focused on the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) Scheme in Bristol, and included both coastal and fluvial aspects. The day was a mix of technical talks in the morning and a site visit in the afternoon.
We are planning our next study day for October 2025.
If you have any suggestions for future study days, please get in touch at rcggroup@ciwem.org.uk.
Leeds, 2022
The Netherlands, 2019
For the last two years, we have co-hosted a day of the conference with The Rivers Trust. This is usually focused on Nature-based solutions. We have a collaborative working group with The Rivers Trust to find and book speakers, plan workshops and chair panels.
This year (2025), the format changed and instead of having a single day, the RCG was involved in aspects of all three days, including facilitating workshops and helping to judge submissions for the various stages.
RCG Workshop, F&C 2023
In addition to our calendar of activities and events, we host two annual competitions: the Early Careers Challenge, and the Jack Lewin Prize.
Early Careers Challenge
This is a new annual competition for those who are early in their career and perhaps not yet chartered. Each year we will set a challenge to be completed in groups. The prizes include tickets to Flood & Coast, vouchers and more! Benefits of taking part include getting to know the sector better, expanding your network, developing skills and gaining experience and exposure.
Our theme this year is uncertainty (to match our technical conference). The competition was launched on 14 April and several teams have been set up with an in-person briefing on 19 May.
Jack Lewin Prize
Every year the RCG committee presents the Jack Lewin prize to someone who has made a significant contribution to the rivers and coastal sectors. In the past it was presented at the Rivers & Coastal Group Conference and now it is usually presented at the Flood & Coast Conference.
The current recipient of the prize is Joanne Barlow, who has made a number of major contributions to the sustainable management of our rivers. The committee noted the substantial amount of time, thought and effort that she puts into all of the causes she supports, and the vital mentorship role she plays to the more junior members of our industry. Joanne is currently Geomorphologist and Water Resources Team Leader at Mott MacDonald.
Recent recipients of the Jack Lewin prize include:
Formerly known as the RCG Chairman’s prize, it was renamed in 2010 after Professor Jack (Jacob) Lewin. Lewin, born in 1922 in East Prussia as it was then, was a survivor of Kristallnacht in 1938, and came to Britain the following year on the Kindertransport aged 16. Lewin learnt English at night school and started out as an apprentice draughtsman. He became one of the world’s leading experts in the design of hydraulic gates, writing the definitive book ‘Hydraulic Gates and Valves’ in 1995.
Lewin was an enthusiastic supporter of CIWEM and the RCG and donated a section of original wooden elm water pipe from his days with the Metropolitan Water Board to the RCG. The water pipe became the trophy for the Chairman’s Prize.
Following Lewin’s death in January 2010, the RCG chose to rename the Chairman’s prize in his honour. The name plate on the Elm Pipe trophy is now full-up of previous winners so is on display at CIWEM HQ. A new trophy was manufactured, and with Jack in mind, was made from parts of one of the UK’s famous flood gates - the Thames Barrier.
Director of Wetland Conservation Clare Dinnis
Recent recipients of the Jack Lewin prize include:
Since 1985, our members have been the leading practitioners in improving the quality and management of water and the environment. Learn more about our Trustee Board.
Find out moreWe provide a forum for professional debate and the opportunity for members to meet and socialise. You can drive knowledge and best practice by getting involved with our special interest groups.
Find out moreCIWEM and CSL Ltd are part of the CIWEM Group.
CSL Ltd (CIWEM Services Limited). Registered in England and Wales. Company No. 3166701. Registered office address: 106-109 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8QS.
CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) Registered Charity No. 1043409 (England & Wales) Registered Charity No. SCo38212 (Scotland). Registered office address: 106-109 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8QS.
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