As the Met Office warns that more extreme weather is “the new normal” for the UK, Martin Lambley of Wavin examines the role of smart technology in managing water in our towns and cities
England’s hottest June on record shouldn’t just be remembered as a boom for beer gardens. It’s yet another sign that the real effects of climate change aren’t on the horizon – they’re here now.
Soaring temperatures are just one side of the story; but they come with an increased risk of extreme rainfall and flash flooding that the UK’s outdated drainage infrastructure isn’t equipped to handle.
Local authorities in the capital are acutely aware of the risk to their rapidly growing urban population – mayor of London Sadiq Khan recently warned that 50,000 of London’s basement flats are at risk of flash flooding due to climate change.
However, the advice given to residents from City Hall on how to protect their properties is a sticking plaster, rather than a long-term solution. Futureproofing urban communities requires a wholesale change to how we manage surface water in our cities.
A new strategy
It’s time to shift our approach to drainage from a system in which water is funnelled out of town as fast as possible to one that retains surface water to be used when it’s needed in longer dry spells.
The sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) available to new and existing projects are smarter than ever, and broad adoption would be an invaluable step towards an urban environment that’s equipped to handle the impacts of climate change.
These systems, which use a combination of manmade and natural elements, are designed to mirror nature’s water cycle, returning surface water to the environment in a controlled manner.
Attenuation tanks are one of the strongest humanmade solutions. These large crates are installed underneath new developments to catch surface water to be released at a rate that doesn’t overwhelm drainage infrastructure or store it for reuse when needed.
Engineered SuDS work best with natural interventions such as ponds, swales, and tree pits, which don’t just make for more resilient communities but add value to new developments in the process. It may seem like a no-brainer for the developers in charge of building the half a million new homes that the government has promised to deliver before the end of this parliament, but what the industry requires is education and support to understand which package of solutions works best for their project.
Sustainability but smarter
SuDS are nothing new, even if policymakers are dragging their feet with crucial legislation such as Schedule 3, which would make SuDS mandatory in large new developments. Manufacturers have been working to make them smarter while the industry and legislators get up to speed. Engineered grey infrastructure that’s perfect for urban environments like London, such as blue-green roofs and rain gardens, can now be combined with real-time monitoring and predictive algorithms, meaning they can anticipate and react to rainfall events and decide how best to put surface water to work.
These systems are an example of the added benefits that come with changing our relationship with surface water, unlocking this valuable resource to feed, cool and clean our urban communities. With sensors to monitor water levels and the ability to access weather forecasts and hyperlocal rain data, next generation SuDS consolidate all the data on offer to make the smartest decision for the most sustainable use of the water on offer. Implemented right, the technology can achieve an impressive 90% retention and utilisation rate for rainwater.
Floods of potential
Extreme heat and extreme rainfall are inseparable, and the change in climates is making sure we’re seeing more of both in our cities and communities. The impact is clear in the form of both long-term downward pressure on the UK economy – with flooding costing an estimated £2.2bn annually – and devastating damage to property and danger to life.
Upgrading our public drainage infrastructure is a decades long project but a forward-thinking approach to sustainable drainage will start making a difference now, on new projects and existing buildings.
The latest solutions on the market are, as with the broader construction industry, smart, technology-driven interventions that use all the information on offer to make the smartest decision. It’s time for industry leaders and policymakers to get behind SuDS together, start building the skills needed to implement them on a large scale, and for urban communities to start feeling the benefits.
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