On the 17th and 18th of September, Dr Sarah Bunney and Dr Ari Cooper-Davis represented Our Rainwater at the Water, Wastewater & Environmental Management Expo (WWEM), bringing our experience of monitoring and SUDS into conversations that really matter for water companies, authorities and stakeholders.
The two days of sessions were about how monitoring data becomes a useful tool, and how that helps to inform projects that reduce flooding and manage stormwater overflows.
A throne for a CEO: Dr Sarah Bunney
On Wednesday 17 September, our CEO Dr Sarah Bunney, chaired a panel in the Keynote Theatre titled “How Do We Manage the Network Through Monitoring?”
The session focused on turning raw monitoring data into meaningful insight, with discussions on data quality, contextualisation and what to realistically expect from AI, machine learning and digital twins in the water sector. Sarah was joined by a panel of experienced leaders from across the industry, which ensured the discussion had varied input and depth.
The panel emphasised that new digital tools only deliver value when they are guided by good quality, well contextualised data and by clear objectives for what the insight should support, whether that is reducing flooding risk, improving SuDS performance or managing overflows. The session struck a good balance between optimism about digital approaches and the need to avoid hype.
Two for the price of one: Dr Arran Cooper-Davis
On Thursday 18 September our Technical Director, Dr Arran Cooper Davis (Ari), delivered two sessions on SuDS monitoring.
His 10:00 talk looked at why we build monitoring into schemes from an early stage and how that monitoring should inform design and optimisation so schemes perform better throughout their life. Later in the day Ari joined a CIRIA panel to take a broader view on how monitoring supports decision making, the importance of joined up design, funding and governance for monitoring campaigns, and the necessity of context when converting data into action. His sessions reinforced our longstanding approach: design monitoring in from the start, then use the evidence to improve future projects.
If you missed any of these talks but want to read more about the thinking behind them, we have been sharing practical pieces on resilience and data driven decision making that align with these themes here:
Resilience Smart
Credit where credit is due: Environment 100 Leadership Award
Can you believe that Dr Sarah Bunney was named as one of the 2025 Environment 100 Leadership Award winners at WWEM?
We can!
The Environment 100 recognises individuals who are driving environmental sustainability across the UK, and Sarah’s inclusion is a deserved recognition of her leadership and the work OurRainwater is doing to apply monitoring and evidence to real world flood resilience and stormwater management.
Keeping our ear close to the ground and what it means for our work
Across both days a few clear themes kept coming through, and they map directly onto how we work:
• Data quality and context come first
• Embed monitoring at the design stage, not as an afterthought
• Use monitoring to inform iterative improvements in design and operation
• Be pragmatic about what AI and machine learning can deliver today; they are tools, not silver bullets
• Governance, funding and joined up decision making unlock the value of monitoring campaigns
These themes reinforce our approach: design with monitoring in mind, collect usable data, and feed that evidence into ongoing decision making so schemes do the job they were built for.
Thanks for all the support
Thanks to everyone who spoke, attended or stopped us for a chat at WWEM. Special congratulations again to Sarah for the Environment 100 award. If you would like a short summary of slides or notes from Ari's and Sarah’s sessions then please don't hesitate to reach out.