Hydro comment on Flooding Report

SUDS must be the watchword of surface water shake-up says Hydro International after EFRACOM committee Flooding Report.

Britain's "confused and chaotic" management of surface water drainage must be tackled with a much more 'joined up' approach to ownership and responsibility for the drainage infrastructure, led by a strong emphasis on Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS).

These conclusions of the parliamentary EFRACOM committee's Flooding Report (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Flooding Report - May 7) add welcome weight to growing pressure for investment and reorganisation of the UK's drainage infrastructure and the need for better understanding of the principals and application of "SUDS", according to surface water drainage specialists Hydro International.

EFRACOM has highlighted the urgent need to establish new Local Authority-based drainage authorities to own, co-ordinate and connect surface drainage systems more effectively within the entire water infrastructure.

"This is an extremely welcome move forward," says Alex Stephenson, Director Stormwater, Hydro International and chair of British Water SUDS group.

"There are currently too many bodies responsible for surface water management in the UK.

With the Environment Agency in an over-arching role, a new kind of agency based within local authorities would bring the necessary focus.

"The widespread adoption of principles of SUDS are critical to future success, managed and led by these new drainage authorities as already happens elsewhere in Europe.

For this to happen we need to begin by tackling the still deeply-embedded misperceptions about SUDS.

"The guiding principals of Sustainable Drainage are based on replicating the site runoff conditions that occurred before development, and on using the most appropriate means and technologies to deal with surface water drainage as close as possible to the point of falling.

"Unfortunately many planners, developers and even some water companies have limited the scope by interpreting SUDS' 'green' credentials as favouring 'natural' above-ground solutions such as swales or ponds.

But these natural solutions can have economic limitations for developers in terms of space required, and can often lead to health and safety concerns whether real or perceived.

"What's needed is a 'best management' approach, using the full SUDS 'toolbox' of techniques, selected from both natural methods and proprietary technologies, including underground infiltration, storage and attenuation devices.

Full account also needs to be taken of effective water treatment of silts and pollutants.

"It's 15 years since Hydro International published 'Urban Drainage - The Natural Way' highlighting the importance of Source Control and Sustainable Drainage (SUDS).

The three key tenets of surface water drainage of quantity, quality and amenity can still be applied today.

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