The European Union’s Smart Resilient Technologies Systems and Tools (SMARTeST) program, the Water Environment Foundation (WEF), and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission hosted a one-day workshop at WEF. The workshop included presentations and discussion on the development of applications related to flood resilience and progressive stormwater management, including green infrastructure. The goal was to facilitate an information exchange between U.S. and European professionals. Another such workshop will be held by the same groups during the 2012 Stormwater Symposium.

In Europe and the U.S., some cities are turning to “flood resilience” as a new stormwater and flood management paradigm that combines ecological, structural, social, water quality, and risk management objectives when addressing flood preparedness. Practices employed to meet these goals include green infrastructure. In the U.S., modifications to the Clean Water Act have been introduced that allow for practices addressing both water quality and water quantity objectives. In the European Union, work is underway to forge an approach that combines the mandates of the Floods Directive of 2007 (flood risk management) and of the Water Framework Directive of the year 2000 (water quality and river ecology) to promote better stormwater management.