Rainwater management success in Southend on Sea
Find out how we got on engaging a community and installing SUDS in Southend on Sea
We have finished installations of monitored leaky water butts on Fairmead Avenue in Westcliff on Sea. 35 devices have been installed in 21 locations, with the aim of attenuating peak flows to reduce the strain on our wastewater network, limit the incidences of surface water flooding and to provide a water source to manage water more sustainably (particularly important during drought).
The headline stats
A mixture of residential, school and even large heritage buildings
All products monitored
35 devices installed across 21 locations
7689L of capacity added
102 square foot of biodiversity habitat, perfect for pollinators.
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With a short deadline and supplier problems, this project was not without its challenges
How did we achieve this?
- Multi phased engagement, utilising various touchpoints
- Leveraging our cultivated relationship with residents to find solutions
- Clear communication and support from our partners at Southend City Council and Anglian Water
- Our dedicated and purposefully designed rainwater management platform
Monitoring
Crucial to our impact on the water environment is turning these rainwater planters from passive attenuation devices into data driven assets.
Monitoring each and every device in a project allows us to assess not only performance, but also impact. We see in real time how these devices perform under various rainfall conditions. This allows us to remotely assess asset health and work with householders to rectify issues, ensuring longevity and maximum performance of these products.
Community impact
These devices are not only water butts for watering your roses.
Paired with our platform and engagement methods they are tools for teaching. Residents learn about managing rainwater where it lands, wastewater and how their actions collectively make a difference to surface water flooding and sewer spills.
After the delays in kicking off with this project, residents were delighted to see us come back again.
We saw 15% resident uptake on Fairmead Avenue with many wanting more devices installed than we could possibly fit. This is largely due to our engagement methods and ensuring that we communicate the benefits up front and in an honest way.
