Recognised as the most important international event in the field of urban drainage, the ICUD is held at a different part of the world by groups of active researchers, selected and designated by the JCUD after a competitive assessment of submitted proposals. During the pandemic, the ICUD was held online to keep the long tradition of exchanging the latest research in the field of urban drainage going. In 2024, the conference will be held in-person again in the city of Delft, the Netherlands.
Since 2005, the Poul Harremoës award competition has been held for the best urban drainage paper presented by a young author during the conference. In 2011 the JCUD Mid-Career and Career Achievement Awards for internationally recognised contributions to the field of urban drainage were added and have been granted since.
The ICUD conference aims to present the latest advances and innovations in fundamental and applied research on urban drainage, considering the themes of metrology, hydrology, hydraulics, water quality and socio-economics. Among its specific interest are urban water quality, in-sewer processes, storm water management, modelling and control, and asset management. The ICUD strives to maintain its long-standing broad international recognition as a prominent platform for the advancement of scientific knowledge in the field of urban drainage. It considers these activities in the wider context of urban water systems, with eh ambition of developing and promoting a sustainable and integrated urban water management.