5.4 Selection of the Specific System
At the end of Stage 3, the appropriate generic system(s) would need to be reviewed further by
the consideration of specific individual characteristics of products. Due to the wide range of
characteristics even within the generic groups, in some cases the information in Tables 5.1 to
5.6 show ranges of applicability instead of specific characteristics. Actual dimensional and
other information should be reviewed at this stage by considering the individual characteristics
of available products in the chosen generic groups. Information on currently available
proprietary systems within each category and contact detail of their suppliers is provided in
Appendix A. Updated information on these systems would be available on the Environment
Agency’s Floodline web site, www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood.
In addition to the fine-tuning of the generic ranges, other characteristics which are individual
to products but critical to their suitability for particular sites such as their adaptability to the
end conditions available on the site, alignment and terrain characteristics would be considered
on an individual system basis. The review would be carried out to further reduce the systems
to those which are suitable and can be erected or closed within available time by the available
resources, and once closed would perform the required function effectively without failure. It
should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list. New products and changes to existing ones
are continuously being made. The final decision will now be made by consideration of other
issues that affect the whole life cost and potential impact of use. Some of these are outlined
below:
! Cost, including initial capital, maintenance, storage and deployment costs
! Durability, re-usability and life expectancy
! Environmental characteristics such as appearance and potential for pollution
! Versatility of use, especially for multi-operational organisations
! Performance information from test results and use in flood conditions
! Ease of use of system, availability of installation guide, training and after sales support
service.