Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)
With increasing pressure on our existing water supplies we need to find more ways to be more efficient and creative in capturing and utilising the rainwater that falls in our urban areas.
By taking advantage of natural systems and natural materials most SuDS use fewer resources and less energy than traditional drainage systems.
From SuDS flood risk management and SuDs stormwater management to the management of SuDS for wildlife, we understand the crucial importance of impeccable maintenance and the opportunities and benefits it can bring.
All maintenance checks are carried out by our Estates teams who take the protection of habitats and associated ecology into account. Maintenance regimes are regularly assessed to ensure the approach is still meeting all objectives including drainage and landscape objectives.
Rain Gardens
Rain gardens are small depressions in the ground which act as infiltration points, they are most likely to be implemented on private property close to buildings.
Filter Strips
Filter strips are gently sloping, vegetated strips of land that provide opportunities for slow conveyance and infiltration. They treat runoff by vegetative filtering and promote settlement of particulate pollutants and infiltration.
Detention Basin
Detention basins are surface storage basins or facilities that provide flow control through attenuation of stormwater runoff. They also facilitate some settling of particulate pollutants.
Green Roofs
Green roofs comprise a multi-layered system that covers the roof of a building or structure with vegetation cover or landscaping. They are designed to intercept and retain precipitation, reducing the volume of runoff and attenuating peak flows.
Pervious Pavements
Pervious surfaces provide a surface suitable for pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic, while allowing rainwater to infiltrate through the surface and into underlying layers. The water can be temporarily stored before infiltration to the ground, reused, or discharged to a watercourse or other drainage system.
Swales
Swales are shallow, broad and vegetated channels designed to store and/or convey runoff and remove pollutants. They may be used as conveyance structures to pass the runoff to the next stage of the treatment train and can be designed to promote infiltration where soil and groundwater conditions allow.