Hydro-Brake for natural solution to surface water drainage

Sustainable drainage solution for new Meltonwest Business Park on the rural outskirts of Hull.

Developer: Wykeland Group

Contractor: C R Reynolds Ltd.

Hull-based developers the Wykeland Group chose a sustainable drainage solution to regulate the expected high surface water flows created by the increased impermeable surfaces on the 50-acre site discharging into an existing open watercourse.

Aiming to achieve pre-development flow rates, two Hydro-Brake^® Flow Control devices were installed to regulate the discharge from two balancing lagoons.

The two Hydro-Brakes are located at the outfall of each of the lagoons to help control the onward flow of the watercourse as it continues its journey away from the site and towards the River Humber.

Wykeland architect Graham Aitchison explains, ’Wykeland is committed to sustainable design on Meltonwest and all of its business parks’.

’Sustainable features will be incorporated into all the business units, and a sustainable travel co-ordinator has been appointed.  

’The surface water drainage scheme has been designed to utilise the existing watercourse, by regulating the discharge with Hydro-Brake^® Flow Controls supplied by Hydro International’.

When complete, the business park will accommodate approximately 14 mixed-use buildings, which with surface yards and car parks will cover an impermeable area of some 35 acres, all of which will drain into the catchment lagoons that the two Hydro-Brake^®Flow Controls serve. 

Andy Ringrose, Team Leader at Consulting Engineers Alan Wood & Partners added: ’The drainage solution centred on widening the existing watercourse and using Hydro-Brake^® Flow Controls to throttle back the flows and achieve greenfield discharge rates.   

The northern balancing lagoon has a storage capacity of 3,500 cubic metres and the southern lagoon of 2,050 cubic metres. 

The Hydro-Brake^® Flow Controls regulate the outfall to the Environment Agency’s required level of 26 litres per second for the entire development.

’With flows regulated by the Hydro-Brake^® Flow Controls, the watercourse leaves the site via a culvert under the adjacent railway line before flowing for a further few miles until it discharges into the River Humber’.

For more information about Hydro’s Hydro-Brake^®Flow Control or any or any of Hydro’s sustainable solutions for stormwater control and treatment, please call 01275 337937 or visit  www.hydro-international.biz.