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They can provide a vital role in reducing
flood risk, cleaning water, providing
valuable green/blue space in urban
areas and important stepping stones
and habitat for wildlife.
WWT, in partnership with Thames
Water and the Environment Agency
fitted ten schools in the Pymmes Brook
catchment in London with SuDS. In
July 2013 there was a heavy downpour
that would have previously forced the
cancellation of the Hollickwood Primary
School fair the next day. Instead, the
water was held at bay thanks to the
wetland that had been built along the
edge of the playing field, leaving behind
just a few puddles. Data shows that
water runoff is delayed at least an hour
before it enters the main drain, thanks
to the SuDS.
In addition, the SuDS have helped
improve the health of the Pymmes
Brook itself. And they’ve also made
the schools’ outdoor spaces greener
and more natural, brought more wildlife
into the school grounds, and become
a focus for pupils to learn about the
environment and conservation.
We need sustainable drainage in new
developments and to be retrofitted
where feasible, not only to reduce
flood risk but as opportunities for
mini-wetlands throughout the urban
(and rural) environment.
Sustainable drainage
systems (SuDS) are
features set into the
urban environment
which mimic nature’s
natural processes to
slow and clean water.