Drainage is fundamental to providing a sustainable environment in towns and cities. HR Wallingford can address drainage issues to help prevent frequent flooding, provide an environment resilient to extreme events and protect water courses from stormwater runoff.

The hydraulic performance of drainage systems using either traditional modelling techniques or more advanced risk based methods, requires experienced drainage modellers familiar with industry tools such as InfoWorks CS 2D.

With the growing need to meet environmental concerns, the concept of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and best management practices (BMPs) is becoming ever more important. The move towards the use of SuDS requires shift in the approach to drainage that requires a much wider range of skills than simply an understanding of hydraulics. HR Wallingford has been at the forefront of research into SuDS and we have led the development of SuDS guidance for the water industry.

Drainage services provided by HR Wallingford include:

Drainage modelling

• hydraulic performance of city wide drainage systems
• the impact of drainage on rivers (Water Framework Directive)
• audit of models to clients and regulators
• risk based analysis of drainage systems
• drainage design for developers.

Sustainable drainage

• research into the performance of SuDS
• providing guidance and developing Standards for Industry
• drainage design for greenfield or retrofit use of SuDS
• rainwater harvesting for stormwater control
• whole life costing of SuDS.

Research and guidance

• tools, including web based facilities, for meeting PPS 25 and other drainage design requirements
• manuals on drainage and SuDS (principal authors for the CIRIA SuDS Manual)
• research for UKWIR and others into areas of commercial risk, or improved guidance for the water industry.