WHY IT’S TIME TO CLOSE THE WATER LOOP

The worsening impacts of climate change are forcing a reckoning on how we manage water in the UK. More frequent rainfall events, along with longer periods of drier weather have made it clear that our outdated drainage structure isn’t equipped to cope with more extreme weather or continuously expanding urban populations - leading to increased flooding, property damage, and strain on vital infrastructure. As we look towards a future increasingly defined by a worsening climate, it’s time for a wholesale change in our approach to surface water management, one that mirrors the natural water cycle.

The construction industry is beginning to see the need for change, and the focus on sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) has grown as a result. These solutions collect water and release it back into the environment at a controlled rate or save it for use during dry spells, rather than just trying to move it out of town as fast as possible.

Building resilience

Attenuation tanks are one of the most robust components of SuDS – these engineered systems sit underneath new developments and collect surface water to relieve pressure on public drainage infrastructure. Aquacell NG is Wavin’s newest attenuation tank, with a modular design that takes the hassle out of installation and allows designers to fit the tank to the requirements of specific projects.

But real resilience comes from a joined-up approach. That’s where Wavin’s StormForce service comes in – an end-to-end SuDS delivery model that supports developers from design to installation. StormForce combines engineered systems like Aquacell NG with nature-based features such as rain gardens and vegetated basins to create holistic, high-performance drainage solutions at scale.

Backed by design expertise and a five-year installation warranty, StormForce helps ensure that SuDS are resilient, cost-effective, and compliant from the outset. It’s a future-facing model of surface water management - one that enables sustainable, biodiversity friendly landscapes, while enhancing water quality and controlling flood risk.

Treating water as an asset

The availability of solutions like these marks a crucial step when it comes to closing the water loop and moving towards a new relationship with surface water in which we treat it as an asset, rather than an inconvenience. We need only look to success stories in cities such as London, where large-scale sustainable drainage initiatives have enabled surface water to be retained and reused to keep urban green spaces healthy and buildings cool.

There is a consensus developing on the need for a more sustainable approach to surface water management, as well as updates to outdated drainage infrastructure. The latter is a long-term project, but developments in SuDS are something that the built environment can begin implementing now, and the latest products on the market are robust, flexible and effective.

For more information on Wavin’s latest SuDS offering, visit: https://wavin.com/gb/solutions/urban-climate-resilience