Eric Suesz
When storms cause flooding, we often want to make water flow as quickly as possible away from the problem. But water is an asset, not a problem.
Just as with traffic on our highways, making the pipes wider and the flow faster doesn’t solve the problem. By holding on to water or controlling how quickly it is released using Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS), we get more utility out of our stormwater, while at the same time treating the symptoms of our over-reliance on carbon-intensive infrastructure.
SuDS mimic nature, helping to manage rainfall closer to where it falls. You can use SuDS to convey water, slow runoff (attenuate) before it enters waterways, store water in natural catchments, allow water to soak (infiltrate) into the ground or even design them so they promote evaporation. Best of all, they are all natural and can help you control and filter out pollutants.
6 examples of SuDS inside InfoDrainage
These six popular stormwater control options are easy to add to your InfoDrainage model with exacting precision, enabling you to make the case to developers and communities alike that doing things differently isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business.
Swale
Swales are shallow, broad channels designed to collect and transfer stormwater. They can be lined with grass or more dense vegetation for increased water pollution filtering. Types of swales include wet, vegetated, dry, trench dry wells, and wadis.
Infiltration trench
Infiltration trenches are typically thinner and deeper than a swale and contain rubble or stone. They encourage water to infiltrate into the surrounding soil from the bottom and sides of the trench, although it is possible for them to be designed with drain pipes underneath, which is sometimes called a French drain.
Porous pavement
Porous or “permeable” pavement provides structural support but allows stormwater to drain directly through the surface into an underlying stone bed or the soil below, reducing surface stormwater runoff. In addition to permeable concrete and asphalt, bricks, paving stones, or cobblestones can be extremely effective at reducing localised flooding.
Bioretention
Bioretention basins – called rain gardens in the US – are basins with landscaping features and enhanced vegetation that can help filter out pollutants in addition to attenuating stormwater. They are often placed in areas where there is frequent storm runoff like parking lots, along roads, or in residential areas.
Cellular storage
Geocellular crate systems are designed to control and manage rain. They can be designed as “soak-away” so water infiltrates directly into the ground, or for attenuation, which sends the water to a local body of water. They are sometimes designed to control attenuation or infiltration at different rates using gravity or pumps.
Pond
Ponds are small ecosystems in themselves. In addition to temporarily (detention) or permanently (retention) holding water, their aquatic vegetation helps filter pollutants through sedimentation and the biological uptake of nutrient concentrations. Sometimes also called wet or dry basins, infiltration basins, or evapotranspiration basins.
Making SuDS a first choice in your designs
Whether you are brand-new to SuDS in drainage designer or are dealing with complex issues like combatting CSO spills, InfoDrainage can help:
- Download a 30-day free trial of InfoDrainage and try these SuDS options.
- Download the Guide to Representing SuDS in InfoDrainage in accordance with the SuDS Manual Ciria 753.
- Dig into the InfoDrainage Technical Information Hub and examine how the software conforms to industry standards.