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Strategic Response 15

Using nature to reduce flood risk and pollution

RainScaping our communities: confronted with urban creep due to demographic change and increased intensity of
rainfall due to climate change, Welsh Water is proposing to reduce the risk of sewer flooding and pollution through
sustainable urban drainage systems.
SR15 – Using nature to Reduce Flood and Pollution with Fergus O'Brien 

This strategic response includes:

This strategic response includes:
• Implementing sustainable drainage
systems across our region, co-creating
local solutions with communities;
• Mitigating flood risks for all properties at a
high risk of internal flooding and resolve
new ‘high-risk’ flooding issues as they
arise;
• Communicating and engaging with
customers to avoid introducing
inappropriate solids into the sewerage
network;
• Undertaking a study to explore the costs,
risks and benefits of the adoption of
surface water and highway drainage by
Welsh Water, something that is not
currently our responsibility; and
• Rainscape will be one of a toolbox of
measures across the business which will
be used in conjunction with other
inventive measures and the development
of networks.
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Research and Innovation

The following research and innovation will
support this strategic response:
• Research pipe repair techniques
(including self-repairing pipes) as well as
incentives to reduce urban creep to help
tackle inflow and infiltration into the sewer
network affordably;
• Develop our understanding of the
performance of sustainable urban
drainage systems including their benefits
for amenity, biodiversity and water quality,
their long-term performance and their
performance during drought and floods in
rural and urban settings;
• Develop standard approaches for
implementing SuDS including standard
designs and the use of statutory powers
for SuDS implementation;
• Formulation and development of drainage
and wastewater management plans, in
line with Water UK’s 21st Century
Drainage Programme, to inform decisionmaking
on sewerage and surface water
drainage.
• Research to understand and apply climate
change to sewage and urban drainage
design with consultants HR Wallingford;
• Research customer behaviours around
sewerage use and how to influence these
behaviours, including the economic

Find out more 

If you would like to find out more about all the Strategic Responses please CLICK HERE
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