www.managingwater.co.uk Industry News & Views Alex Stephenson,


Alex has over 36 years experience in stormwater drainage design and related issues.


As well as being the UK Stormwater Director with Hydro International he is also Chairman of the British Water SuDS focus group. He is ideally situated to keep you up to date with the industry changes and legislation.


Delivering Sustainable Drainage – Let’s get Practical


We all want to achieve our goal of widespread use of Sustainable Drainage Systems as quickly as possible – to get there, I believe, requires us to combine our vision with some healthy pragmatism. The House of Commons environmental select committee (EFRA) have reinforced the need for urgency in implementing SuDS measures in its report on the draft Water Bill (published 1 February) and chair Ann McIntosh MP has said the Government has been ‘too slow’ to implement much-needed changes.


In their enquiry continuing this month, the committee will ask Defra to explain itself, set out exactly which parts of the Flood and Water Management Act are proving difficult to implement and what is being to done to address the difficulties.


I for one, will be watching those discussions closely.


I strongly believe that the key to implementing SuDs in future lies in balancing a vision for natural features with an understanding of the practical – and sometimes hard-engineered – solutions that can help to deliver them. It’s always a inspiring to experience the passion of those of us who campaign for SuDS, so it was a privilege to host the SuDS: The State of Nation Round Table on behalf of Engineering Nature’s Way.


The debate was enlivened by visionary people who have a clear view of how SuDS could make our urban environments cleaner and greener. Yes, we agreed, some progress has been made already, but there is still so much to do and I believe we need that progress to be accelerated.


Round Table


You can read a full report of the event and the findings of the SuDS: The State of the Nation Survey here.


The debate got me thinking that


healthy compromise is needed if we are going to truly harness SuDS to improve our urban environment. It’s clear there is a job to do to bring developers on board with sustainable drainage. For me this emphatically means countering the fear that SuDS are land-hungry natural features that threaten the commercial viability of developments. Yes, SuDS should be ‘green’, but the principle of at-source control and the SuDS trinity – ‘quality, quantity and amenity’ equally allow for hard engineered features where this delivers a practical solution that attenuates water, reduces flood risk and protects the sewage infrastructure. You’re probably thinking ‘I would say that’ because I work for a leading manufacturer of proprietary systems for sustainable drainage. But the fact is, I believe in both. Ponds, swales and detention basins offer great amenity, but using a mix of natural and engineered features together can deliver a solution that ticks all the green boxes – whilst still offering a practical way forward for the developers, planners and highways authorities working with the constraints of the space available. Hydro products are being used to facilitate SuDs successfully and practically in major housing developments up and down the country.


Education needed The panel was in agreement that there was a need


Contact Alex by:email: alex.stephenson@hydro-international.co.uk Telephone: 01275 878371


www.fadsdirectory.com 5


for more education and training not only among those preparing to be Local Authority SuDS Approving Bodies (SABS) but also among engineers and developers – and not least among public and local stakeholders who can contribute to costs, maintenance and shout success from their (green) rooftops.


More case study exemplars - including retrofit schemes – are needed and we need to identify projects to monitor the long-term performance and maintenance experience of SuDS. I hope the Engineering Nature’s Way website can make its contribution alongside resources such as CIRIA’s Susdrain. You can read the latest posting of how innovative new Up-FloTM treatment technology helped a housebuilder in Kent deliver SuDs with two levels of treatment here. We talked a lot about the fact that we don’t need to wait for legislation and the Flood and Water Management Act to get on with delivering SuDS. The European Water Framework Directive also has pressing targets for water quality improvements and that, too, means we need urban drainage schemes that can prove they remove pollutants from surface water run-off. Proprietary treatment systems such as Hydro’s Downstream Defender© advanced vortex separator can provide a space-saving contribution to improved water quality as part of a SuDS solution. Because they are engineered, they also offer repeatable, measurable performance.


Housebuilders


Recent national press stories suggest that work on the National Standards for new development in England and Wales may have been stalled by a strong lobby from housebuilders and developers who need to do all they can to revive our construction industry – and provide much-needed new housing.


My vision is that proprietary systems can make a valuable contribution by saving land, minimising maintenance and keeping developments viable whilst still complying to best-practice SuDs principles. Used in great designs, they can be combined with natural above-ground features. Yes, we must work to demonstrate the multiple benefits of SuDS and find new ways of valuing them as Ecosystems Services. Yes, we need to find new and creative ways for local communities to engage and fund retrofit schemes.


Pitt Report


But that vision will take time to become reality –and in the meantime our atrocious weather is reminding us in no uncertain terms of the need to implement the recommendations of the Pitt report and to tackle urban flooding. So, let’s get practical. We should also not forget, as my British Water colleague Ian Bernard pointed out, that the UK can be proud of its innovative engineering technologies for urban drainage – technologies that can also help us with overseas trade. The right legislation can help to accelerate investment in research and development and support UK plc abroad – a vision we can all sign up to.


Charles Tucker Charles is


Chairman of the National Flood Forum, a national charity that supports and represents people and communities at risk of flooding.


Charles had a 35 year career in rivers, water pollution control, drainage and waste regulation before taking early retirement from the Environment Agency.


We welcome the flood defence spending


The National Flood Forum today welcomed the new announcement on flood defence spending. Protecting people from the devastating effects of flooding is vital and this is a timely contribution. The floods over the last 7 months have demonstrated the importance of a comprehensive flood risk management programme and people across the country who are at risk of flooding will therefore be better protected as a result of today’s announcement.


We welcome today’s announcement of funded capital schemes, which will bring relief to many communities. However, we are still waiting for a Government decision on a framework for flood risk insurance despite negotiations going on for over 2 years.


Reaching agreement on a replacement for the Statement of Principles governing flood insurance for high risk properties is urgent. The Statement of Principles runs out in June this year and already many insurance companies are making plans that assume there will be no agreement. The consequence will be a free-for-all where insurance companies are free to charge what they like and refuse insurance to anyone who is at high risk.


The negotiations seem no nearer a conclusion. Meanwhile, thousands of householders across the country fear that the next heavy rainstorm will bring renewed flooding. How much longer must people wait?”


The Flood Forum has long held that it is Government’s responsibility to reach an agreement with the insurance industry and establish a clear framework for flood insurance. Failing agreement, a completely free market will leave many thousands of high risk properties unable to obtain insurance in future years.


This extra funding demonstrates that Government understands the concerns of people at risk of flooding; we hope that this soon translates into a decision on a new framework for flood risk insurance.


Contact Charles on: Telephone: 01299 403055


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