Instruments for integrated flood risk management in Germany Prof. Mariele Evers, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany

New Flood Control Act "We will give our rivers more room again; otherwise they will take it themselves" "Our aim was to design more effective strategies to combat the risk of flooding. The Flood Protection Act … is the most important element in this strategy". Former federal Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin  Act to Improve Preventive Flood Control (9th May 2005)

The concept The concept is to adapt by means of an Article Law the various legal provisions relevant to flood protection at federal level in such a way as to take into account aspects of flood prevention. Amendments was made to the Federal Water Act (WHG), the Federal Building Code (BauGB), the Federal Regional Planning Act (ROG), the Federal Waterway Act (WaStrG) and the Act on the German Meteorological Service (DWDG).

Designation of flood zones Nationwide requirement for the designation of flood zones on the basis of 100-year flood levels The Länder will be given a period of five years to designate these zones (2010) in areas of high potential risk (settlement areas) and 7 years (2012) in areas of risk  A second category of "flood-prone zones" [potential flood risk areas] is introduced and placed under protection [such zones include e.g. areas flooded after dam failures]

Rivers with flood risk - Example

Identification of potential flood risk areas by geological mapping

Designation of flood zones The Act will require the Länder to mark the flood zones and flood-prone zones in regional plans and urban development plans For designation of flood zones a participation process is required The Act will generally prohibit designation of housing developments and industrial estates in flood zones Some exceptions are possible but they are very much restricted

Flood control plans Former flood plains that are suitable to act as retention areas should be restored as far as possible [provided this does not conflict with overriding concerns of public interest] Flood control plans (devise until May 2009): … “shall stipulate that plans for a water run-off… technical flood control and the reclamation and especially restoring of retention areas and further flood control measures (flood control plans) have to be devised as appropriate”. “The flood control plans shall include in particular measures to preserve or restore retention areas, to flood and discharge the water from these retention areas according to the requirements of an optimised floodwater run-off in river basin units, to relocate dykes, to preserve or restore alluvial meadows and to retain precipitation water.”

Prevention The Länder will be required to establish river-based flood control plans and coordinate them at international level. The Federal Water Act will be amended to include a requirement for individuals to keep potential damage as low as possible. Likewise oil-fired heating systems will in future be banned in flood zones while existing ones will have to be upgraded.

Integrative Aspects Operations for the maintenance and the development of rivers and canals will in future have to be carried out without affecting the risk of flooding. And the German Meteorological Service is to play a more important role in preventive flood protection, in order to give relief services and the citizens concerned more time to seal house entrances and clear cellars and house The Act requires all arable farming activity to be stopped in flood zones by the end of 2012 (grassland farming is the first priority in flood zones)

Synergies with EU Flood Framework Directive Identification/assessment of areas of risk 100 years flood (FD: extreme events and floods with high probability) Flood risk management plans are required Considering the catchment scale Focus on preventive measures [and, if considered appropriate, non- structural initiatives] Only FD: inter alia costs and benefits, (spatial planning), land use, nature conservation, navigation and port infrastructure Coordination with WFD

Catchment based Development Plan - gGEP - r-CDP l-CDP

Integrated planning tool Example: Planner Client for Hamburg - Kalypso Enterprise

EU project SAWA SAWA - Strategic Alliance for integrated Water management Actions Region/Program: INTERREG IVB North Sea Region Lead Partner: City of Hamburg Member states: NL, SWE, UK, NOR, GER Goal: … How to integrate two directives with potentially conflicting aims on asynchronous time lines taking into account climate change is the core question in SAWA. Flood risk management plan witch integrate WFD and LUP.

Thank you very much for your attention! evers@uni.leuphana.de