Historically, conventional drainage was designed to remove rainwater, as quickly as possible from the point at which it has fallen, to a discharge point. As population and developments grow, this approach has a number of damaging results.
1. Surface run-off – surplus water from hard paving and roofing can significantly increase the risk of flooding downstream as well as causing sudden rises in water levels and flow rates in watercourses.
2. Contamination – surface water run-off potentially contains contaminants such as oil, organic substances and toxic metals. Cumulatively, at low levels, they can generally cause poor water quality in rivers and groundwater, affecting biodiversity, amenity value and potential water abstraction. After sustained periods of dry weather, heavy rain can cause the first flush to be highly polluting.
3. Water Courses – by capturing rainfall in piped systems, water is prevented from soaking naturally into the ground, depleting ground water and reducing flows in aquifers and watercourses in dry weather.
As a direct consequence many urban watercourses are lifeless and unattractive, and are often hidden in culverts under the ground. |