Southern Water is looking for community groups and businesses who can help slow the flow of rainwater from roofs or driveways – and stop it overloading sewers.
The new Community SuDS Fund will offer up to £3,000 grants to those who come forward with ideas that help keep rainfall out of the Island's network.
SuDS, or Sustainable Drainage Schemes, can include raingardens, adapted water butts, wetlands, and other innovative solutions that capture water and release it slowly back into the environment – rather than allowing it to race into drains and sewers from hard impermeable surfaces.
Allowing flows to rapidly enter sewers can overload pipes and wastewater treatment sites, leading to the use of storm overflows into the environment to stop homes and businesses from flooding.
Our teams on the ground on the Isle of Wight are working hard to improve our network and reduce storm overflows through nature-based and engineering solutions, but we also want to help our customers implement their own solutions which can make a difference too.
Financial and technical support will be on offer to successful applicants.
Partnerships Delivery Manager for Southern Water, Joanne Wood, said:
“We know how passionate customers on the Isle of Wight are about the local environment and waterways, and this is why we want to work with them and hear about their ideas to collectively slow the flow of rainwater.
“Any idea can have a wider benefit of reducing storm overflows to ensure that the Isle of Wight can have clean rivers and seas.”
Examples of SuDS schemes
- Raingardens – these manage rainwater runoff from hard surfaces after downpours by planting an attractive, low maintenance, wildlife-friendly space
- Swales – These use the landscape to create a natural way to slow-the-flow of water. One of these is in use at Nettlestone Primary School
- Water butts – Could you create a project for a street or community to all have a slow drain water butt? They slow-the-flow of water entering our sewer to reduce storm overflows and also help save water.
The benefits of a water butt – a simple way to save a lot of water (southernwater.co.uk)
You can find out more about the fund and different SuDS solutions at our drop-in event on Friday 4th October, between 12:00 and 16;00 at The Isle of Wight Community Club in Cowes.
You can make your application from 23 September to 3 November. Visit our website for more details about how to apply SuDs Community Fund (southernwater.co.uk).
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