The Gooseum Rhyne Reservoir project near Bristol has been honoured with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) South West 2025 Project Award for Collaboration, recognising exceptional teamwork and community engagement.
Originally built in 1982 to prevent flooding in low-lying Congresbury—a village with a long history of flood events—the reservoir was designed to hold over 25,000m³ of floodwater (equivalent to 10 Olympic swimming pools). Its elevated storage capacity later classified it as a ‘large, raised reservoir’ under the Reservoirs Act 1975, subjecting it to stringent maintenance standards.
When plans for improvements threatened neighbouring properties, a youth club, a basketball court, and the treasured Millennium Green memorial trees, the local community voiced strong concerns. Catherine Farrugia, Environment Agency Catchment Engineer, led extensive consultations and built robust relationships with residents, ensuring their feedback fundamentally shaped the project’s evolution.
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A breakthrough solution emerged through collaboration: legally reducing the reservoir’s storage capacity while preserving its flood defence effectiveness. This ‘deregulation’ approach aligned engineering standards with community values, safeguarding public amenities such as Millennium Green’s woodland, river access, footpaths, and memorials. It also enhanced accessibility, cut costs by approximately £8 million, and reduced carbon emissions by 98%.
Environment Agency research confirmed that the reduced storage would not increase flood risk to Congresbury but would lessen structural stress on the embankments. Construction was completed in summer 2024, with formal deregulation finalized in January 2025.
ICE judges praised the project team’s commitment to genuine community engagement and adaptability, highlighting it as an exemplary model where collaboration fosters innovative engineering solutions.
Catherine Farrugia remarked, “This project demonstrates how engineering, delivered thoughtfully and simply, can honour a community’s sense of place while fulfilling critical objectives. We’ve shown the power of listening to and responding to those we serve.”
Project Manager Meloney Celliers added, “By embracing creative thinking and authentic collaboration, we achieved outcomes that protect both the community’s priorities and the environment.”
Dominic Bradley, Atkins Réalis Project Director, lauded the effort as “a standout example of challenging convention to deliver shared benefits.”
Philip Ramsay, Operations Director at Kier, emphasised, “This project exemplifies partnership-driven innovation that truly centres community needs, resulting in a lasting, positive legacy.”