[SystemSafety] Floods and Electrics

Mon Jan 4 16:21:46 CET 2016

It should of course be noted that before failure of said pumps through water ingress, the local authority decided that the best course of action was to open the barrier and release the Foss floodwaters into the Ouse (on the grounds that they would not be able to do so if the pumps failed) thereby negating the entire intended flood protection plan for central York . . .

-----Original Message-----
From: systemsafety-bounces at lists.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de [mailto:systemsafety-bounces at lists.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de] On Behalf Of Peter Bernard Ladkin
Sent: 28 December 2015 11:43
To: The System Safety List
Subject: [SystemSafety] Floods and Electrics

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In an article in the Guardian about the floods in York, at http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/27/floods-army-called-continue-devastate-northern-england
,  I read about the flood barrier on the River Foss that

[begin quote]

Problems arose at the weekend at the Foss barrier and pumping station, which controls river levels by managing the interaction between the rivers Foss and Ouse. In a model that is commonplace around the country, pumps behind the barrier are supposed to pump the water clear. The station became inundated with floodwater after the volume exceeded the capacity of the pumps and flooded some of the electrics, according to an Environment Agency spokesperson, who said that a helicopter was due to airlift in parts to complete repairs on Monday.

[end quote]

It is particularly ironic that flood-control measures are rendered ineffective through flooding of their controls. But it's not a one-off.

At the beginning of this month, much of the city of Lancaster (and reportedly 55,000 people) were left without power when an electricity substation in Caton Road was flooded in a previous storm
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-35020049

Roger Kemp's take on the Lancaster affair is at http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/blogs/roger-kemp/who-decided-to-put-lancasters-main-electrical-substation-next-to-the-river/

There is more to consider. Lots more.

I have a few more words at http://www.abnormaldistribution.org/2015/12/28/water-and-electricity/

PBL

Prof. Peter Bernard Ladkin, Faculty of Technology, University of Bielefeld, 33594 Bielefeld, Germany Je suis Charlie
Tel+msg +49 (0)521 880 7319  www.rvs.uni-bielefeld.de

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