SuDS – Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems

Copa Limited – is a member of the British Water Sustainable Drainage Systems Focus Group. One of the group’s key purposes was to produce a guidance document, which stemmed from the limited amount of information available to stakeholders on the use of proprietary SuDS technology.

Sustainable drainage is a concept that includes long term environmental and social factors in decisions about drainage. It takes account of the quantity and quality of runoff, and the amenity value of surface water in the urban environment. Many existing urban drainage systems can cause problems of flooding, pollution or damage to the environment and are not proving, in some instances, to be sustainable.

Developed areas need to be drained to remove surface water. Traditionally this has been done using underground pipe systems designed for quantity, to prevent flooding locally by conveying the water away as quickly as possible and consequently, transferring the problem elsewhere.

Public expectations of Water quality issues have become increasingly important. The amenity aspects, such as water resources, community facilities, landscaping potential and provision of varied wildlife habitats, values we often taken for granted, have largely been ignored.

Copa – specialists in wastewater treatment and stormwater management, design, manufacture and install a number of technologies. The technologies cover the four principle areas of proprietary SuDS solutions including Infiltration, Flow Control, Storage/Attenuation and Treatment.