About
susdrain is a community of professionals involved in the planning, design, approval, construction, and maintenance of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and Natural Flood Management (NFM) who come together to connect, share ideas and resources, and drive progress towards the delivery of high—quality SuDS and NFM at scale.
The susdrain website is host to a wide range of guidance, case studies, fact sheets, and other information. Whether you are an experienced engineer designing SuDS retrofit schemes, a local authority officer responsible for approving planning applications, or simply someone who wants to learn more about a raingarden you saw in your local area, there are resources to cater for all knowledge levels.
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) come in many forms but are a collection of interventions that mimic nature and are designed to lower flood risk, reduce levels of pollution in our sewers and water courses, promote biodiversity restoration, and create better places for people and wildlife.
Natural flood management (NFM) is a tool to help reduce flood risk. It complements other flood risk management approaches and involves working across the landscape to protect, restore or mimic the natural hydrological processes that occur.
These include increasing infiltration of water, slowing the flow of water across the landscape, storing water and holding back sediment.
susdrain exists to raise awareness of the benefits of SuDS and NFM, connect practitioners, facilitate the sharing of knowledge, good practices and lessons learned, and to equip the construction industry with the skills needed to deliver high-quality SuDS/NFM at scale.
For over ten years susdrain has been recognised as the UK’s foremost authority and resource provider on everything SuDS.
There are several ways in which people can get involved in susdrain. Most importantly as a user, to explore the site and utilise the wide range of case studies, guidance documents, fact sheets, and more that are available to support the delivery of high-quality SuDS and NFM.
Organisations can also get involved as partners or supporters. Partners and supporters benefit from meeting at quarterly Project Steering Group (PSG) meetings, where the group are provided with industry updates from key stakeholders such as Defra, the Environment Agency, the Welsh Government, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Water Companies, and many more.
Our partners and supporters also have the opportunity to take an active role in the organisation and delivery of events such as the ‘The SuDS Awards’, ‘Mansfield SuDS Site Visit’, and ‘The SuDS Theatre’.
All partners and supporters have a visible presence on susdrain.org, making them the go-to organisations for anything SuDS and NFM. It is an opportunity to raise organisations profiles and visibility. Partners do benefit from an increased presence online and at susdrain events.
The susdrain website is hosted and curated by CIRIA. The Project Steering Group includes susdrain partners and supporters, as well as key stakeholders. the PSG works under a fixed Terms of Reference and is independently chaired by Graham Fairhurst.
Wherever possible, CIRIA and susdrain try to remain independent and objective providing opportunities for review of information through the PSG. All fact sheets and briefings undertake a peer review process through the PSG. ‘Full’ case studies received are also peer reviewed, and ‘light’ case studies are reviewed by CIRIA staff.
Peter Holt
Gary Grant
Phil Gelder
Owen Davies
Simon Bunn
Simon Boots
Bridget Woods-Ballard
Richard Ashley
Simon Boots
Simon Bunn
Bridget Woods-Ballard
Richard Ashley
