We were delighted to help organise the recent Geotechnical Society of Ireland/Engineers Ireland conference, “Geotechnical Engineering for Ground and Surface Water”. Twelve very interesting papers were presented in front of an audience of over 120 attendees at the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise. Among the presentations, one of the key points that stood out was the critical role of the geotechnical engineer in the design of flood protection works, with geotechnical engineering works making up the vast majority of the capital spend in any flood protection scheme. The value of geotechnical expertise was stressed throughout.
Ciaran Reilly chaired a session on groundwater modelling, where two very interesting papers on the modelling of regional scale aquifers were presented.
The proceedings of the conference are now available to purchase on the Engineers Ireland website, and would make a valuable reference document for any civil engineering designer or contractor engaged in works involving ground water or flood protection.