CIRIA SuDS Bitesize - a series of short blogposts helping you to quickly digest some of the most important nuggets of information from the CIRIA SuDS Manual 2015.


This is the first post in our CIRIA SuDS bitesize series so it is important to start by defining exactly what sustainable drainage systems are and stand for:


"Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are designed to maximise the opportunities and benefits we can secure from surface water management.

There are four main categories of benefits that can be achieved by SuDS:
 

• water quantity,
• water quality,
• amenity,
• and biodiversity

These are referred to as the four pillars of SuDS design.

SuDS can take many forms, both above and below ground. Some types of SuDS include planting, others include proprietary/ manufactured products. In general terms, SuDS that are designed to manage and use rainwater close to where it falls, on the surface and incorporating vegetation, tend to provide the greatest benefits. Most SuDS schemes use a combination of SuDS components to achieve the overall deisgn objective for the site."




Image: Page 6 of the CIRIA SuDS Manual 2015




The next post of the series will look at maximising the benefits of SuDS.

Please click here to stay tuned and receive updates on new posts

By Bill Blackledge CMLI
member of LI Technical Committee