Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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Project focus: Sustainable drainage Water were consulted throughout the course of project. The dataset, highlighting the options for SuDS retrofit opportunities, is now available for staff at Anglian Water to use to help match the best solutions to the need, and shape its overall surface water strategy. Not only can the tool be run quickly, saving time and money, it can also be re-run very easily. The key benefit for Anglian Water was that it was able to see all the opportunities for SuDS across its entire operating area, enhancing its ability to make decisions about the best opportunities for the implementation of SuDS and prioritising investment. The scope of the SuDS Studio was demonstrated by providing the opportunity for Anglian Water to see not only where surface water could be removed but also how to maximise the benefits of SuDS at the same time, such as how to improve the water or air quality, reduce noise or heat island effects and improve biodiversity and amenity. Whilst these are tertiary requirements for SuDS, they are important aspects that add value to Anglian Water's overall surface water strategy. The SuDS Studio project produced the following results for the water company: • 13.5 million feasible SuDS solutions were identified and mapped; • Over 5.5 million cost effective SuDS solutions were shortlisted; • Analysis was undertaken of SuDS opportunities across different catchment types across Anglian Water's entire operating region; • As the model can rapidly scan large areas it has meant that SuDS solutions could be fast tracked for engineering and modelling; and • The tool ensured the solutions identified would be resilient to climate change. Next steps The SuDS Studio outputs have given Anglian Water a much better understanding of the surface water removal potential for its entire region. This will support it with its long-term strategy planning, and look at the opportunities for mitigating the future demands of growth, climate change and catchment creep together with reducing flood risk, energy usage and improving water quality. The data from the SuDS Studio project is now being incorporated and utilised by their scheme delivery teams to look for surface water removal opportunities for a number of new projects. Anglian Water sees that an essential and hugely important part of its plans is to work closely with their other flood risk partners, including lead local flood authorities and district councils. Consequently Anglian Water will be sharing the opportunities highlighted by SuDS Studio with these partners to enable the delivery of partnership funded opportunities. A key part of its future plans is also the involvement of its customers. Implementing SuDS will be a sea-change from more traditional engineering solutions, and it is a journey that they want their customers to understand and be involved with. 24 | APRIL 2017 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk ● SuDS studio is a unique geospatial tool which identifies cost-beneficial SuDS ● Rapid assessment tool prioritises most beneficial projects ● Analysis across different catchment types in the region • Innovations The SuDS Studio tool shows a variety of SuDS opportunities in colour selected solution 5 Type 2 Type 4