Southern Water‘s innovative pilot scheme on the Isle of Wight has successfully installed 200-litre water butts in the village of Havenstreet, reducing pressure on storm overflows and decreasing spills by 70%. The project is part of a larger £5m investment into sustainable drainage schemes (SuDS) that combat rainwater run-off from hard surfaces.
Water spill reduction by 70%
The slow-drain butts capture and release rainwater over a five-hour period, mitigating the effect of CSOs that would otherwise overflow in heavy rainfall events. As a result, annual spill incidents are expected to remain in the single figures.
Initially trialled at a nursing home, the beautiful Victorian bespoke planters designed by Trant Engineering were able to absorb large amounts of water from an 800m² roof. Following this, the slow-drain butts were implemented on one street in Havenstreet, with 72% of households adopting them. The nearby CSO, which previously activated 27 times per year when rainfall exceeded 5mm, experienced only one spill in the six-month trial.
Thanks to this project’s success, twelve primary schools and five academies across the Isle of Wight will benefit from the installation of the SuDSplanters and water butts. As the deadline for these SuDS installations approaches, Project Manager Laura Moran expresses her gratitude for Trant Engineering’s team, who have gone “above and beyond to support us in making things happen.”
