What can we do?
Simple Solutions for Sustainable Rain Water Management:

If you consider the scale of the issues we are facing in the UK (and globally) with regards to water management, it’s difficult to imagine that you can do much as an individual to help.
However, even taking small steps to slow or reduce the volume of water that goes down your storm water drains makes a difference.

(2) The average rainfall for a property in the NW3 postcode is approx 722mm meaning over the course of a year, 100m2 of impermeable surface creates over 72,000 litres of run off. (Source: Met Office Data).
If that's just one roof, imagine how much a whole street generates?

This issue of run off is exacerbated in urban environments where gardens are smaller, front gardens often, non existent and all the run off created has to go somewhere – and that is usually down a drain.

Have you experienced any flooding locally over the last couple of years?
Consider the amount of water that, as a community, you could redirect in a more sustainable way rather than sending down your drains.

Whether or not you see local impacts such as flooding, diverting water back into the ground using tools and techniques that work with or, mimic the natural flow of rainwater or, slowing and reducing the flow of water into drains, you are:

• Reducing the immediate threat of surface flooding.
• Reducing the need for water companies to use emergency overflows (which can release waste and storm water into natural water courses)
• You are also restoring some of the natural underground water reserves and creating a more healthy, resilient environment.

Let’s take a look at a few simple ideas that can be used even in the smallest of garden spaces:

1. Water butts, barrels and buckets...
These are one of the easiest ways to capture and store rainwater from a roof area.
By collecting water from your downpipes, you gain sustainable water supply for your garden (rainwater is also better for your plants!) washing your car, or cleaning outdoor spaces.

This reduce your reliance on mains water, saving money on your water bills.
Water butts are an accessible, low-cost solution that can be easily set up in most gardens.

Your basic, cheap plastic (make it recycled plastic, please!) butt isn’t necessarily the prettiest of things but, it can be screened or clad to make it less conspicuous. There are also lots of more attractive alternatives available on the market to either make something of a feature of them or, ensure they are more in keeping with your preferred garden aesthetic. You can also find tank 'panels' that double up as low fences for tiny front gardens so, there really is no excuse!
Recycled or vintage items such as wine barrels can also work.

2. Dipping Tanks
Dipping tanks work in a similar way to water butts catching and storing for future use.
They are typically larger, open trough-like receptacles with easy access to dunk and fill your watering can (hence the name!)

They’re a perfect addition to an allotment or veg garden, catching off the roof of a shed or outbuilding and positioned anywhere that quick access to stored water is useful.

They can be as basic as an agricultural trough (above) or something manufactured for the purpose such as those made by The Dipping Tank Company.

Another take on this concept could be to include marginal or oxygenating planting on a shelf to one side to keep the water fresh and clear for longer periods of time.
Ready made troughs incorporating these features can be bought or, it’s something that’s relatively straight forward to implement with a bit of plant knowledge or an internet search (The Royal Horticultural Society website is really straightforward if you're looking for information on this sort of thing).

3. Rain Planters
Ok, so storing water is a given (everyone can benefit from having at least one water butt if they have any planting in their outdoor space or even just houseplants - houseplants love rainwater!)
However, rain planters are a clever and attractive way to not only manage rainwater on your property - slowing the flow to the drain but, to also green up your space, providing opportunity for planting where none may currently exist.

They are essentially a well-drained planter that take in run off from your downpipe. While they don't necessarily store water for future use, they allow large volumes of water to move slowly through them, before releasing it at a much reduced rate and volume.
I'll be explaining how these are constructed in a later session.

• Downpipes from a section of roof can be diverted into the planter which catches and slows the water.
• It infiltrates the soil/compost, contained in it, watering the plants as it goes and allowing the excess to drain towards the bottom.
• As water collects and seeps into the drain pipe, it is diverted back to the original drain at a much reduced rate and volume which helps with storm water management.
• If the flow of the water coming into the planter starts to rise above the surface and inundate the planting, the overflow pipe at the top diverts the excess water straight into the drain pipe.
  

So, we are able to catch and slow the rain water as it arrives, use some of it in watering (and losing more through evaporation from the surface of the soil and through the plants leaves) plus, store the water that’s been held in the planter itself, creating a more resilient environment for the plants in it.

These planters increase the planting space available to you in your outdoor area, adding beauty and greenery and supporting biodiversity and local wildlife.

They are a great way to combine function and design.

4. Permeable Paving
We’re not going to cover permeable paving in great detail in this course as there are many variations and many different ways to construct it correctly depending on your site conditions and materials being used.

However, as an important element to designing more sustainable and resilient gardens, it deserves a mention.

When it rains onto impermeable surfaces so the water isn’t able to penetrate and soak through to the ground underneath, it creates runs off. Typically this is either collected in a drain and piped away or, it simply rushes off the edges of the surface to a planting bed, road (and drain) or, into a nearby vegetation or water course.

It’s a particularly relevant issue for ‘front garden’ areas which are frequently dedicated to parking especially in towns and cities where off road parking is at a premium.
These surfaces can generate a lot of water, added to that collected from the roads and streets themselves, there’s the potential for overwhelming the drains this run off ends up in.
If the surface water runs off from your property is across a parking area it’s also possible that it’s carrying some element of pollution* as well.

*(Highway pollution is on an entirely different level of yuck – polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from fuel, oil and grease, heavy metals and sediment all of which are highly damaging to aquatic life run off our roads on a daily basis -if you want to know more about this, Stormwater Shepherds are an interesting organisation to check out).

If the paved surface your car sits on is permeable and water can infiltrate the ground below it not only stops run off being created and replenishes underground water reserves, it cleans the water as it goes – these polluting particles typically sticking to the molecules they are filtering past.

Well constructed, permeable paving is ideal for driveways, garden paths, or patios and it can be made from a variety of materials: Gravel, clay or porous concrete pavers for example or even reinforced grass.

One of the considerations when planning a driveway these days (and, in particular permeable types due to the nature of their construction) is the relative weight of modern cars. In particular SUVs and EVs are much heavier compared to previous generations of vehicles.

***
Each of the above solutions is designed to either work with or, mimic an element of the natural water cycle, helping to capture, store or slow rainwater near where it falls.
They typically don’t require huge investments or complex installations but they can have a big impact.

By adding one or more of these features to your garden, you’ll be making a positive difference, helping to reduce flooding, save water, and contribute to a more sustainable environment.

In the next section, we’ll go into some more detail on how these solutions can be implemented in your own space.