Water: Protecting our most precious resource

Water sustains life, communities, and economies. At SYSTRA, we embed water-aware approaches into everything we do — from transport and infrastructure to energy and environment — ensuring this vital resource is safeguarded for future generations.

We know the challenges are urgent: climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, and increasing demand. That’s why our engineers, consultants, and designers deliver projects that not only achieve client goals but also protect and enhance the natural world.

Key contacts

Gareth DAVIES

Market Director > LinkedIn

Marc STEDMAN

Discipline Lead > LinkedIn

Our water expertise

Whether leading dedicated water projects or applying our skills to other sectors, we help clients manage water resources more sustainably.

  • Infrastructure Design: Rail and linear infrastructure expertise adapted to water schemes, including reservoirs, aqueducts, and pipelines. 
  • Flood & River Engineering: Designing flood resilience into major infrastructure projects, ensuring climate foresight from day one. 
  • AMP8 Innovation: Bringing fresh ideas from transport, energy, and environment to challenge conventional thinking in the water sector. 
  • Catchment & Environmental Planning: Holistic, region-wide solutions that balance human needs with natural systems.
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Environmental Strategy

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Water & Climate Solutions

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Drainage and Flood Risk Consulting  

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Nature Positive

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Our commitments in the water market

1. Cutting Carbon
  • Net Zero by 2030 across SYSTRA operations. 
  • Proven low-carbon design in rail, highways, and energy, now applied to water. 
  • Expertise in PAS 2080 compliance, carbon tools, and lifecycle optimisation. 
  • Material reuse strategies (steel, aggregates, ballast) transferable to pipelines and pumping stations. 
2. Protecting Rivers & Reducing Overflows
  • Supporting water companies on AMP8 to cut storm discharges. 
  • Hydrology & catchment management expertise from global flood projects. 
  • Nature-based solutions: wetlands, reed beds, infiltration zones. 
  • Advanced modelling of surface water flows and capacity upgrades.  
3. Enhancing Biodiversity Net Gain
  • Delivering 10%+ BNG on major infrastructure projects. 
  • Habitat creation, rewilding, and species migration corridors. 
  • In-house CIEEM-accredited ecology specialists. 
  • Early-stage BNG integration for cost and compliance benefits. 
4. Building Climate Resilience
  • Designing for extremes: floods, droughts, temperature. 
  • Global portfolio: levees, barriers, culverts, natural flood management. 
  • GIS-led climate vulnerability assessments. 
  • Resilient energy and transport networks in harsh climates. 
5. Catchment-Based Approaches
  • Net Zero by 2030 across SYSTRA operations. 
  • Proven low-carbon design in rail, highways, and energy, now applied to water. 
  • Expertise in PAS 2080 compliance, carbon tools, and lifecycle optimisation. 
  • Material reuse strategies (steel, aggregates, ballast) transferable to pipelines and pumping stations. 
6. Driving Digital Innovation
  • BIM and digital twins to model environmental performance. 
  • Remote monitoring of biodiversity and hydrology. 
  • AI-assisted environmental modelling to accelerate consents. 
7. Circular Economy in Delivery
  • Minimising waste, maximising reuse. 
  • Recovery of materials from decommissioned assets. 
  • Design-for-disassembly applied to infrastructure. 
  • Programme-wide waste minimisation strategies. 

Projects in action

Cover image for the water and flood services brochure
Let’s work together
  • Proven in multi-sector infrastructure delivery.
  • Global expFrom storm overflow upgrades to catchment-scale planning, SYSTRA brings innovation, expertise, and sustainability to every water project.ertise with local client partnerships.
  • A track record of low-carbon, resilient, and nature-positive design.
  • A collaborative partner committed to creating lasting environmental value.

Gareth DAVIES

Market Director

Marc STEDMAN

Discipline Lead

Insights

highways-and-drainage-project-1
  • Expert Insights

Marc STEDMAN

Tackling Environmental Risk with Flood & Water Management

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  • Expert Insights

Marc STEDMAN

We expect perfect tap water. Behind the scenes, the system's under pressure

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our Services

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Business Case Development

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Water & Climate Solutions

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Bridge and Viaduct Engineering and Design

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Drainage and Flood Risk Consulting  

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Urban Design and Masterplanning

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