What role do drainage engineers play in flood prevention projects?

The United Kingdom skilled drainage engineers support developers in making sure that all development complies with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requirements through effective control of surface water run-off to reduce flood risk.

Engineers design Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs), which include swales, attenuation tanks and permeable paving, etc. that simulate how nature works to capture the excess rainwater.

The engineers use sophisticated hydraulic models to confirm that their designed system will be able to handle a 1 in 100-year flood event, plus an additional allowance to account for climate change.

Drainage engineers are responsible for developing the drainage strategy that is required by the lead local flood authority (LLFA) to identify exceedance paths and ensure that “residual risk” can be safely managed on each project; thereby protecting both the infrastructure and property owners from flash floods.

Engineers align construction with natural water systems.