Urban drainage in Ireland - embracing sustainable systems

The current approach to stormwater management in Ireland requires that outflows from
new developments are restricted to greenfield values that would have occurred prior to
development. This typically involved the use of holding tanks constructed within
developments to attenuate stormwater from where it was released at a reduced rate via a control structure to a nearby drainage network or watercourse. Improved drainage
policies now require that sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are used to meet this
objective. This study presents an evaluation of perceived issues that may impede the
adoption of new policies. The findings are based on surveys and focus groups of
practitioners involved with the planning and design of drainage systems. Although the
study indicates that benefits of SuDS are reasonably well understood, their use, for many reasons, has remained less popular. Concerns with ongoing maintenance and long-term responsibility of SuDS remain impediments to the embracing of these systems in drainage strategies.