Catchment to Coast
Help your community slow the flow of rainwater and help tackle surface water flooding, completely for free!
Get involved with the fantastic Catchment to Coast project! If you live in Southend-on-Sea or Thurrock, you may be eligible for a free rainwater capture device. We're helping residents in parts of Westcliff-on-Sea and Stanford-le-Hope capture rainwater by providing free rainwater capture devices - more information on what's on offer is below.
Sign up in just a couple of clicks and find out if your address is eligible to take part. You'll need to complete a quick questionnaire so we can assess whether your property has the right downpipes and space for one of three rainwater capture devices. If it does, you'll be able to book an appointment to have your rainwater capture device professionally installed!
Find out more about how it works, the project and what's on offer below.
Find out if you're eligible for a FREE rainwater capture device!
What's on offer...
Depending on availability, your preferences and available space, there are 3 options to choose from! We're excited to share that if you have enough space, you could have more than one device installed. A bit like recycling, the more you do - the bigger the impact!
With all the planters, we will provide them ready for soil and planting at your own discretion. Soil and plants will not be provided.
- Bioscapes SuDS Planter
- 180L Pillar Planter
- 280L Slim Planter
Brilliant for Biodiversity
(The water for this product can't be accessed)
Made from stainless steel & recycled plastic, brighten up any outdoor area!
350 litre capacity
Integrated wildlife habitat
H 980mm X L 1475mm X D 665mm
There will likely be a longer wait for this product, therefore if you are hoping to have your device installed sooner, we would advise choosing one of the other two options.
There is no water storage or usage available on this product. Therefore it's perfect for those who want to slow the flow of water into the drainage system, whilst also boosting the biodiversity in their garden spaces.
Photo Credit: Bioscapes
Great for smaller spaces!
Simple design
H 985mm X Top Diameter 600mm
32 litre bowl & 180 litre reservoir capacity
Colour: Millstone
Photo Credit: Ecosure
Ideal for narrow spaces.
280 litre capacity
H 975mm X L 1100mm X W 340mm
Area for planting
Sandstone Colour
Please note: This product is first and foremost for attenuation and will not be provided with a stand so that a watering can can fit underneath. If the water is needed, there is a tap attached, however it is close to the ground and attaching a hose would be the best course of action.
Photo Credit: FreeFlush
Contributing to insights & understanding
These devices will include a free monitor, which will help improve understanding around how well they slow the flow of rainwater. The Catchment to Coast Project is all about increasing knowledge around different interventions related to surface water and coastal flooding, with the hope that this will inform other projects around the country.
By having a monitor fitted, you will not only be helping to slow the flow of rainwater in your community, but assisting in the collection of important data. But don't worry, these monitors only record water levels and nothing else. We understand if you would prefer not to have one, but would love it if you choose!
What is Catchment to Coast?
Catchment to Coast is one of 25 DEFRA funded Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programmes (FCRIP) and is set across 17 sites throughout Thurrock and Southend.
By looking at different catchment areas, the project tackles challenges specific to each location to provide an overall positive impact. Working with impacted communities is key to finding the best solutions.
What are the goals?
The key goals of Catchment to Coast are to combat flooding and coastal erosion, and improve drought tolerance, in Southend and Thurrock.
Trialling new and innovative methods to investigate the most effective will help contribute to local, regional and national policy enabling the UK to adapt better to climate change. Through our collaboration with local communities we're working to improve conditions for wildlife, rivers, and the natural environment.
How are Our Rainwater helping?
We want to ‘slow the flow’ of rainwater. This will be achieved by installing water butts and rainwater planters at residential properties - completely for free!
This slows the speed of water entering sewers and decreases pressure on our systems - especially during periods of heavy rainfall! Capturing rainwater will help reduce the impact of surface water flooding and sewage spills.
Managing rain like this complements other aspects of the project which will work in unison to improve resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.
How will this be achieved?
Eligible properties will be retrofitted with rainwater water capture devices, like water butts and rainwater planters. Residents can apply through the Our Rainwater website in just a few easy steps. Sign up
Capturing rainwater directly from rooftops involves disconnecting downpipes and diverting flow into water butts or planters. The water is held here, rather than rushing straight into drains.
Imagine if we all captured water from our roofs the kind of impact this would have?
Why is this needed?
Southend and Thurrock are facing several interrelated water challenges, including surface water flooding, tidal flooding and outfalls.
Flooding
The area is made up of different catchments that have specific challenges impacted by multi-source flood events and intense rainfall - which is happening more often! This is made worse by:
More Urban Areas
This includes roofs, concrete and tarmac (impermeable surfaces). Rain cannot soak (infiltrate) these areas, increasing surface water run-off.
Limited Sewer Space
There is only so much room in sewers. The increasing amount of heavy rainfall occurring more often along with increasing population levels means sewers can become overwhelmed.
Sewer Outfalls
This water that would usually soak into the ground, rushes into drains, putting more pressure on systems and overwhelming the sewage network. This can lead to ‘outfalls’ (pollution) where treatment plants cannot process all the water.
Frequent Tide-Locking
This is where high sea levels stop rivers draining away as normal, causing them to back up.