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Rainwater Harvesting Information
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Flooding in Evesham is made worse by non-sustainable urban drainage systems
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Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS)
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS)is an new approach to drainage which tries to decrease the amount of surface rainwater run-off, decrease the speed of this run-off into the drains, or prevent it from getting to the drains in the first place by storing it and using it for other useful purposes, thereby reducing the contribution it makes to sewer discharge, sewer overflow and river flooding. SUDS can also improve the quality of run-off, cleaning the water naturally and preventing pollutants such as oil and hydrocarbons from entering the drainage system. SUDS will also improve urban environments, making them more attractive and should provide improved, greener landscape, more amenity land and wildlife and Eco benefits too.
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In the past, householders have faced few barriers to increasing the amount of hard standing on their property, as paving front gardens was a permitted development right, and therefore could generally proceed without planning permission.
Given the contribution of hard standing to surface water flood risk, the Government has changed householders’ permitted development rights and now allow them to pave over their front garden without planning permission only if the surface is porous, for example, by using permeable paving, grass paving systems or gravel. They have introduced legislation with the effect of requiring planning permission for impermeable surfaces on front gardens. |
New Laws for Sustainable Drainage
Permeable and porous surfaces such as gravel, green roofs, porous and permeable block paving, etc. which produce no or very little run-off and can have a 'grass' effect.
Rainwater Harvesters which store and enable the water to be used in the home or business.
Ponds/lagoons for temporary storage of rainwater during periods of heavy rain (detention basins) or longer term rainwater storage (retention basins)
Large diameter drain Pipework which can store more rainwater before discharge and channeling to divert water from undesirable locations Structures that increase the lag between a heavy rainfall event and discharge of water to the drainage system by increasing percolation into the ground. These can be box-section or stone-filled underground soakaways, ponds or swales, which are depression trenches in grassland – dry most of the time but fill with rainwater run-off during wet periods,allowing it to slowly soak into the soil.
Structures that increase the lag between a heavy rainfall event and discharge of water to the drainage system by increasing percolation into the ground. These can be box-section or stone-filled underground soakaways, ponds or swales, which are depression trenches in grassland - dry most of the time but fill with rainwater run-off during wet periods,allowing it to slowly soak into the soil. |
The SUDS approach is particularly valuable in urban areas where high density development and impermeable surfaces mean surface runoff can easily cause flooding, either directly or indirectly through rainwater entering the drainage system too quickly
For information, advice and SUDS assessments please contact us
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