SuDS design and drainage strategy work establishes how a development will manage surface water. We consider the feasible discharge destinations, storage, treatment and exceedance routes alongside the layout so drainage is designed as part of the site.
SuDS Design and Drainage Strategy
Surface-water destinations, storage, treatment, exceedance and maintenance considered with the site layout and ground conditions.
SuDS Design and Drainage Strategy enquiry
Ground and groundwater conditions
Infiltration testing and groundwater information help establish whether water can drain into the ground at the proposed location.
Space for drainage features
Site levels, building positions and available storage influence where sustainable drainage measures can be accommodated.
Surface-water destinations and site constraints
Site levels, soil and groundwater conditions, existing drainage and available outfalls determine which options are realistic. Infiltration should not be assumed suitable until the ground, groundwater and contamination constraints have been considered.
SuDS can combine several features to manage runoff close to where it falls. Buildings, landscape, ecology, access and maintenance space all affect where those features can be located and whether they remain workable after construction.
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Drainage performance and exceedance
The strategy explains how runoff will be treated, stored and discharged, the relevant climate-change allowance and where water will go if the design capacity is exceeded. Pipe sizing alone does not describe the consequences of exceedance across the site.
Ownership and maintenance are part of the design because drainage features need to remain accessible and effective over time. The applicable national standards and the requirements of the relevant authority or adopting body are checked for the scheme.
Drainage ownership and maintenance
The drainage strategy should identify who will own and maintain the proposed features and how they can be accessed for inspection and maintenance. Adoption requirements and the applicable national and local standards are checked against the final layout before the strategy is completed.
SuDS Design and Drainage Strategy: common questions
Can every development use soakaways?
No. Soil permeability, groundwater, contamination and other constraints need assessment.
Is a drainage strategy just a pipe layout?
No. It should explain runoff treatment, storage, discharge, exceedance and maintenance.
Why does maintenance need consideration before construction?
The features must remain accessible and effective after the work is finished, with responsibility for their upkeep established.
Why does the drainage strategy need an exceedance route?
Rainfall can exceed the design capacity. The strategy therefore considers where excess water would travel and whether it could create unsafe flooding on or beyond the site.
Can an infiltration test replace groundwater assessment?
No. The rate at which water enters the ground is only one consideration. Groundwater levels and protection of the water environment also matter.