SuDS: standards, guidance and design tools

The course includes detailed explanation of the technical basis and the requirements of the current standards and good practice guidance in the UK. The course has a particular focus on hydraulic and water quality management of surface water runoff, with an emphasis of setting these in the context of designing schemes that deliver across all four categories of SuDS benefits (hydraulics/water quantity, water quality, amenity and biodiversity).

Hydraulics/water quantity

• SuDS design criteria relevant to flood risk management
• Greenfield runoff estimation methods, models and tools
• Previously developed runoff estimation methods, models and tools
• Runoff estimates for the proposed development site, models and tools (including climate change and urban creep factors)
• Attenuation storage volume estimation methods, models and tools
• Volume control methods
• Peak flow control methods
• Interception: rules of thumb and calculation methods
• Infiltration design
• Hydraulic considerations for steep sites, flat sites, and sites with high groundwater levels.

Water quality

• Background and evidence relating to groundwater and surface water risks from urban runoff
• Methods available for assessing water quality risks and the suitability of proposed mitigation strategies
• The variation in requirements of the EA and SEPA
• The SuDS Manual Simple Index Assessment method

The course programme will enable you to become familiar with the most popular free tools hosted on the uksuds.com website – these being the greenfield runoff estimation tool, the storage volume estimation tool and the Simple Index Approach spreadsheet for water quality management.

The course is also aimed at increasing your understanding and ability to evaluate the suitability of key characteristics of a SuDS scheme.

This course is designed for you if you are a:

• Developer or consultant – to understand what is required of drainage designs to secure LPA approval and the guidance and tools available to support the design process.
• LPA SuDS approval officer – to understand how to evaluate drainage submissions in line with national standards and guidance.

However, you may also find the course of value if you are a product manufacturer, a regulator or other environmental consultant, and any other type of SuDS practitioners.

At the end of the course, you will be aware of and understand the key criteria and requirements of current standards, and understand how to design and approve surface water management systems that:

• ensure that the proposed development does not make downstream flood risk worse;
• do not put the proposed development at risk in terms of flooding;
• are functional (i.e. the infiltration, conveyance, storage, flow control and exceedance flow management designs are robust);
• protect groundwater (in line with the requirements of the environmental regulators);
• do not pose a pollution risk to receiving surface water bodies (including those with environmental designations);
• are suitably resilient to future climate change and urban creep risks.

You will also:

• understand the different ways of estimating runoff rates from greenfield and developed sites;
• understand the different tools available to help with estimating storage volumes and treatment requirements;
• understand the different tools available to undertake detailed analysis of the drainage system, and how to ensure that robust inputs deliver robust outputs.

The course is a combination of recorded and live sessions delivered across an eight week period, and spread over seven modules.

These modules comprise pre-recorded lectures, mini quizzes and exercises using uksuds.com tools. These are available for you to view and complete anytime and at your own pace, and when convenient for you. 

In addition, there will be the opportunity to attend two live sessions at intervals during the course with the course tutors for Q&A and discussion. These live sessions are also recorded and will be made available afterwards.

All course materials will be issued on the course start date, and on receipt of payment of the course fee.

The course fee per delegate is £150.00 (excl VAT).

The current course programme will run from 11 March to 3 June with registration remaining open until 2 June, giving the flexibility to join the course at any time during this period. A live Q&A session will take place in October and November.

Please note, different start dates are shown for the course but these are for admin purposes only. Access to the course materials will be issued on receipt of payment of the course fees and will be available to all participants until the course closes on 3 June.

We will be running these online courses on a regular basis so if you find it’s fully booked, there will be another course happening soon after. You can contact us by email to register your interest.

This one-day classroom course is delivered at our offices in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.

The course content is spread over one day with discussion and debate sessions, allowing attendees time to become familiar with runoff and storage estimation tools, and understand and evaluate the suitability of key scheme characteristics.

The course fee per delegate is £299.00 (excl VAT). Discounts are available for multiple bookings.