Best Management Practice: A Sustainable Urban Drainage System Management Case Study

Abstract

The Glasgow Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) Management Project satisfies the first of three phases of the Glasgow Surface Water Management Project. This is Glasgow City Council's contribution to the Transformation of Rural and Urban Spatial Structure (TRUST) project, one of the European Union's (EU) inter-regional (INTERREG IIIB) funded research projects. The contribution of SUDS to the overall catchment dynamics of cities such as Glasgow was studied. Fifty-seven sites within 46 areas of Glasgow were identified for initial investigation, including a preliminary SUDS feasibility assessment and a desk study relating to historical planning issues that may be relevant for subsequent future development and regeneration options. The methodologies for a SUDS Option Decision Support Key and a corresponding SUDS Option Decision Support Matrix that are adaptable to different cities and countries have been outlined. The key should be used during a preliminary site investigation and can help to classify potential SUDS sites. Corresponding findings should be compared with the conditions listed in the matrix, which will inform the planner about potentially-suitable SUDS techniques for a particular site. Detailed design guidelines were then drafted for seven selected representative SUDS demonstration areas including the Pollok Centre area. This case study, for example, is representative for a class of 24 areas and sites. Combinations of infiltration trenches or swales with ponds or underground storage were the most likely SUDS options for the majority of the demonstration areas.