Learn more about SUDS Greenbelt manages many different SUDS - Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems - on dozens of housing developments all around the UK. We were pleased to see members of the Hamilton Residents’ Association and local community attend an informational talk on SUDS recently, carried out by Neil Berwick of Abertay University’s Urban Water Technology Centre at our North Hamilton development in Leicester.Neil has long assisted Greenbelt with the establishment, maintenance and inspection of SUDS, and the training of our Operations team in these aspects, under the terms of a Service Agreement with Abertay University.Greenbelt’s Community Liaison Team enjoys a close working relationship with the Hamilton Residents’ Association, while the North Hamilton development happens to be home to one of the largest, fullest and most complex SUDS we manage anywhere in the UK.As such, it was a great opportunity for local residents to find out more about these often-misunderstood structures, and put any questions straight to the expert. Our SUDS are complex interconnected systems, designed to intercept both rainfall and runoff from hard surfaces in urban areas and efficiently divert it into local waterways and sewers at a controlled rate so as not to overwhelm them - reducing flood risk, incidence and severity for those who live nearby, without negatively impacting the environment.As such, SUDS are typically composed of open-faced ponds and V-shaped channels called swales, which intercept rainwater and excess groundwater, linked together by a series of inlets, outlets and underground storage tanks.Greenbelt carefully selects the plants to be placed in such areas, favouring species that can filter out waterborne pollutants and particulates - meaning water is cleaner when it leaves the system, dispersing the ecological benefits over a far wider zone than the SUDS’ immediate catchment. “A specialist in the management of SUDS had come down to North Hamilton to give an informal chat to the residents about how SUDS, and particularly the one at North Hamilton, actually work,” said Nick Upton, Community Liaison Officer for the region.“A number of very interesting things were highlighted by Neil, including the ‘treatment train’ and various methods and mechanisms used to filter out pollutants before the water disperses into the nearby Melton Brook.“Unfortunately, the rain came down after about 30 minutes, but everyone I spoke to commented how useful the talk was, and asked if similar events could be scheduled for next year.” You can read more about the exemplar SUDS at North Hamilton here. Previous article: Gordon Millar - Sustainability & Biodiversity Manager Prev Next article: Marie Curie Brain Game Raises £93k Next