Welcome
Welcome to the SMURF project website
SMURF (Sustainable Management of Urban Rivers and Floodplains) is a three year partnership project that started in August 2002. SMURF is supported financially by the EU LIFE-Environment programme.
The project is based on the River Tame in the West Midlands - specifically the urban area of the river catchment that includes Birmingham and a large part of the Black Country. The River Tame is a typical example of an urban river - polluted, heavily modified by culverting, straightening, re-routing and with concrete banks and few natural features.
SMURF aims to tackle these environmental problems on the Tame by integrating the planning and management of land-use, water quality, ecology and flooding. The methods developed by the SMURF project will be used as a model for work on similar rivers throughout the UK and the European Community.
The WebSMURF System
The WebSMURF system is now live! The WebSMURF system is a cut down version of the full desktop SMURF System that was developed for the SMURF project. You can use WebSMURF to find out information about the rivers Tame and Rea in the West Midlands, right here in your browser without any special programs on your computer.
For more details, see our guide to what WebSMURF is, and how to use it, or try using the system.
Flooding and Water Resources on the Tame
The Environment Agency is now able to provide flood warnings online 24 hours a day. The information is updated every 15 minutes. Check the current flood status of the
River Tame, River Rea and River Cole.
The Environment Agency also provides monthly information on rainfall and reservoir levels. Check the Water resources situation for England and Wales.
