JBA Consult Europe has developed the first Surface Water Management Plans in Romania (2024 – 2026). The projects had as main objective the development of a strategic plan for surface water management in the Municipalities of Pitești and Ploiești, taking into account the increase of urban resilience to extreme weather events and the improvement of existing infrastructure. Among others, the project involved an assessment – based on modelling - of the current situation andproposal of measures (with a focus on nature-based solutions and green infrastructure such as Sustainable Drainage Systems – SuDS, natural water retention areas, etc), the estimation of their costs and prioritization. The project responds to the implementation requirements of the Floods Directive, within the framework of which in 2019 17 urban areas with potentially significant flood risk were defined. These plans represent a national first, being the first strategic documents dedicated.

JBA provide integrated services for assessing the performance and safety of dams and reservoirs under extreme hydrological conditions. Our expertise combines advanced hydraulic modelling with structured risk analysis, delivering comprehensive solutions for owners, operators, and design engineers.

• We analyse maximum flow routing through individual or cascade reservoir systems using state of the art 1D/2D hydraulic models.

• We simulate single dam and cascade failure scenarios, assessing the downstream impact of the resulting flood wave.

• We develop Dam Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) in full compliance with national technical standards and legal requirements (Relevant studies: Cotorca I and Cotorca II – Valea Cotorca River; Racovița – Olt River; Murani – Măgheruş River; Ianova – Gherteamoș River).

The JBA modelling team has extensive experience with similar studies for more than 30 dams in Romania, commissioned by the National Administration “Apele Române” and Hidroelectrica.

JBA carries out site-specific flood risk assesments for different investment objectives, for pre and post- implementation scenarios, providing support in the selection of designied technical solutions,. Examples of recently completed projects:

• Rehabilitation of the flood protection line along the Danube on the Hârșova–Ciobanu sector, Constanța County – Danube River, Constanța County, 2024, Client: Dobrogea–Litoral River Basin AuthorityRiver Basin Authority

• Hydraulic Study for the Prut River, Albița–Fălciu Sector, Vaslui County, as part of the “Feasibility Study Update – Prut River Embankment Works on the Albița–Fălciu Sector, Vaslui County”, 2024, Client: Prut–Bârlad River Basin AuthorityRiver Basin Authority

• Study for determining the roughness coefficient and flow conveyance capacity of the Bega River channel, between the NH Topolovățu Mare sector and the town of Făget (bridge over the Bega River on the E673 road), 2025, Client: Banat River Basin AuthorityRiver Basin AuthorityFlood risk and hydraulic studies for photovoltaic park developments, 2024–2026, Relevant studies: Corbii Mari, Butimanu, Sadova, Dobrun, Grădina, Beidaud, Rătești, Buciumi, Tismana, Rovinari

• Hydraulic study for the development flood defense scheme of the Geru River and its tributaries – Galați County, 2026, Client: Consitrans S.R.L.

The main purpose of these projects is to ensure a sustainable and afficient flood risk management for existing or newly proposed developments (residential units, leisure areas, commercial / hotel premises, etc.) in accordance with the legislation in force. These complex flood risk assessments include activities such as: hydraulic modelling using specialized software, the identification of all flooding sources (fluvial, stormwater, droundground) which generate flood risk for the proposed developments, the assessment of post - implementation scenario and potential generated impacts, proposal mitigation measures when applicable, evauation of residual risk and climate change. JBA Consult Europe coordinated the modelling activities, and not only, within more than 50 such types of projects/objective.

The primary objective of these projects is to evaluate and ensure the compliance of reservoirs with the protection and safety standards mandated by current legislation, utilizing the methodologies developed in the Floods and Reservoir Safety (FRS) guide. These complex dam safety studies involve verifying the level of protection of existing infrastructure against design floods, evaluating dam breach scenarios or uncontrolled spillway discharge, and analyzing how the reservoir responds to extreme hydrological events. JBA Consult Europe performs detailed hydraulic modeling to guarantee that these critical assets meet the criteria for authorization and safe operation, providing a clear perspective on associated risks and necessary reinforcement measures in accordance with British standards.

This type of analysis focuses on evaluating the risk generated by intense precipitation using advanced rain-on-grid hydraulic modeling, which allows for the direct simulation of runoff across the entire land surface. These studies aim to precisely identify pluvial accumulation zones and flow paths for the current situation, while simultaneously analyzing the impact that proposed developments may have on the local hydrological regime. By comparing pre- and post-implementation scenarios, our specialists evaluate changes in risk and hazard and propose effective stormwater management solutions, ensuring that new investments do not increase flood risk in adjacent areas.

Flood modeling (with rainfall source) was performed using a pioneering approach by JBA, to develop the first rainfall map of the UK in 2007. Thus, the simulations were performed using the JFlow® 2D hydraulic model (www.jflow.co .uk).

Hazard maps provide an excellent basis for supporting the need for change in stormwater management and for supporting the associated investment plan. This project proposed recommendations for improving the master plan and developed a supporting document for amending / updating legislation, including examples from other countries (UK, Ireland, Belgium), focusing on design solutions / requirements for pluvial water management in urban areas (taking into account the rainfall regime for Bucharest). Regarding the further development of the master plan, a set of legislative, institutional and planning measures related to the proposed long-term investment plan was recommended.

JBA Consult Europe contributed to 6 flood risk management projects, having as beneficiaries RBA Someș-Tisa, Jiu, Olt, Buzău, Siret, Dobrogea-Litoral. For all these projects, JBA Consult Europe coordinated the elaboration of the Options Appraisal and contributed to the elaboration of the Feasibility Study and Financing Applications and in two of them (RBA Siret and RBA Dobrogea-Litoral), was responsible of the development of the hydraulic models (fluvial and pluvial, as appropriate), based on which the technical / constructive solution was proposed and designed.