Andrew Houghton

BEng (Hons) Civil and Coastal Engineering (1995)

During his six years working for a civil engineering contractor, Andrew worked for TJ Brent on sewage schemes for South West Water and Wessex Water. TJ Brent were part of the Environment Agency's framework during the later stages of his role and he soon became aware that they had a diverse range of functions. It was also particularly appealing to him to work for an organisation that places such importance on the environment.

"I studied Civil and Coastal Engineering at Plymouth University so the area of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management was particularly interesting as it gave me the opportunity to work in river and coastal engineering.

"When I joined the Environment Agency in 2001 I transferred my ICE training agreement. Our work spans design, construction and project management - so I didn't have any problems completing my MICE here. I've also learnt a huge amount by taking courses in CDM, health and safety, hydraulics and hydrology, and just as much from my colleagues. There is a very broad range and depth of engineering knowledge within the Environment Agency.

"But it was the type of work in rivers and floods that I initially joined for and I haven't been disappointed. I'm an Asset Systems Management Technical Specialist, so I get involved when we're identifying problem locations and stay on board until the project's delivered. Some are small local-level schemes, like the creation of salt marsh habitats, others are multi-million pound constructions, such as the improvement to long stretches of culverts - and there's always a new problem to solve. Each project offers different challenges to provide a successful outcome. I'll often liaise closely with the community and partners such as local councils - most require compromises to be made within the available budget. I also work with colleagues in Environmental Management and Fisheries, Recreation and Biodiversity to achieve the best end result.

"Recently I'm working on a flood defence scheme for the River Valency at Boscastle. You probably heard how badly the area was hit in 2004. Our challenge is to develop a scheme appropriate to this type of location which suffers very rapid flooding, but one that also has a unique historic environment - so we needed to develop an appropriate solution.

"Everyone here seems truly enthusiastic about our environment, and I think it really shows in our work. Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management is not only regulatory - primarily it's about actively making steps towards improving or preventing flood risk. You'll need to be good at communicating with members of the public, with designers and contractors. Sometimes you need to explain complex issues in everyday terms or discuss contentious issues.

"Working at the Environment Agency is not an easy option as it's extremely busy and challenging. But it's incredibly exciting and offers a broad range of opportunities in a very interesting line of civil engineering."