We’re working with community groups and businesses to make sure the Isle of Wight’s sewers and treatment sites keep doing their job – and storm overflows are drastically cut.
Thanks to our new Community SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Schemes) Fund, five Island projects have been awarded up to £3,000 each, to help them develop ideas which will stop rainfall running straight into our sewers.
It is this influx, especially at times of intense storms, which can overload our network of pipes, pumping stations and treatment works, and lead to releases into the environment via storm overflows – to prevent homes and communities from being flooded.
We need to keep this rainwater out, but this is a huge challenge, particularly in the face of the more intense weather events brought on by climate change, and growing areas of impermeable hard surfaces which force surface water to runoff into our sewers or to cause flooding.
The rollout of SuDS can slow this flow, by holding water back in green and sustainable ways – as demonstrated by these winning proposals:
- 1st Ryde 1st Binstead Scout Group will build two large raingarden planters to absorb run-off from the roof of their Scout hut. The Scouts, Cubs, Beavers and Squirrels have all been involved in creating these plans
- Business A D Smith Plumbing and Heating is adding two new parking bays which have special permeable paving, allowing rainwater to soak into the ground rather than running straight into the drains
- Brading Town Council will be installing special guttering and slow-drain water butts on the bus shelter in Brading’s Bull Ring
- Cowes Town Council will be co-creating a living wall made up of plants at The Cut, Cowes, which will absorb water from the roof of the public toilet block
- Newport & Carisbrooke Community Council will be offering slow-drain water butts to businesses and community buildings.
This announcement of winning ideas comes as Southern Water’s Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force continues to be busy on the island in its work to cut storm overflows. This includes working in partnership with Isle of Wight Council.
Joanne Wood, Partnership Delivery Manager for the Task Force, said:
“We're delighted that these five projects are showcasing several
“To tackle the use of storm overflows properly and as quickly as possible, it is vital that we work collectively as a community.
"By reducing the amount of surface water that gets into our sewers in the first place, the likelihood of the network being overloaded falls hugely, and storm overflows will not be needed to prevent homes from flooding.”
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