Stakeholders at every level of the construction industry
must acknowledge the growing risks posed by ageing drainage infrastructure,
poor maintenance schedules and increasingly volatile weather patterns warns
water drainage specialists ACO Water
Management.
As the country continues to experience extreme weather
changes and rising temperatures, the hot weather could lead to further heavy
downpours, as already experienced across the UK in July. With some forecasters
predicting that extreme heatwaves could become a long-term regularity each
year, ACO is calling on all parties involved in water management system design
to factor in for increased contingency for climate change, as well as greater
funding for more stringent maintenance processes.
According to ACO, the impact of the flooding is being exacerbated
by a lack of maintenance being carried out on the drainage. Inspection routines
are essential to efficient performance of the channels and they should be
carried out at frequent and regular intervals, dependant on the location and
environment.
Rob Butcher, Design Services Manager at ACO, said:
“Maintenance is crucial for drainage channels to help keep the original
hydraulic capacity of the drainage system, while also ensuring safety for
pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Most of the time, inspections lead to the
removal of debris that has accumulated over time, and drainage channels should
be inspected at least once a year.”
While flooding may seem inevitable when the UK experiences two
weeks’ worth of rain in a 24-hour period, regular maintenance of drainage
channels could mitigate long term damage from extensive flooding. ACO is also
calling for engineers and project managers to engage with water management
specialists at the earliest opportunity to ensure that maintenance is factored
in at the design stage and there is an appropriate level of access to support
inspections.
Rob Butcher added: “Many water management systems have been
in place for a number of years and were not necessarily designed with a
contingency plan to deal with the more frequent weather changes we have
experienced in recent years. Surface water drainage systems are often designed
to cope with a 1:30-year storm, which is problematic as the combination of a
small system design and poor maintenance is likely to heighten the flood risk.
“While
we can’t control the weather shifts that we are experiencing, we do have an
important role to play in ensuring that flood risks are mitigated. Designers
should consider the likelihood for increased rainfall and reduced maintenance
periods.
“We
would like to stress the importance of both adequately and regularly
maintaining drainage channels, especially if we can expect to experience
further heatwaves and subsequent downpours. Something which is often missed is
cleaning channels following heavy storms where excess silt builds up,
especially following periods of dry weather.”
Taking advantage of online tools, such as ACO’s hydraulic
design software, QuAD, allows designers and engineers to plan ahead and
understand the environmental challenges they may face ahead of the build phase
of a project. This is achieved through the software’s ability to integrate with
Google Maps, meaning users can input their site’s exact location and
automatically receive the rainfall intensity for the area. Users can also test
their proposed maintenance schedule using the in-built resilience feature.
Rob Butcher concludes: “If you are
currently working on a project and haven’t yet considered how to mitigate a
potential flood risk, we advise that you get in touch with a water management
specialist. If you’d like some support, we can also advise on using QuAD and
assist in designing for your specific project factoring in the changing climate
and up-to-date calculations."
