Creating a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) with Rain Garden Planters
Back in November 2015, we were contacted by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, who were involved in a project on sustainable urban drainage. They planned to install a series of planters which would funnel water from a building's down-pipes, through a rain garden within the planter and then exit into an existing drain. This process of encouraging the rain water to flow through the planters significantly slows water down during storm conditions, helping to lessen the burden of water entering the local river system, creating a more sustainable drainage system (SuDS).
SUDS Project Scope:
Outdoor area before.
Build three large heavy-duty, exterior grade, wooden planters, with a disabled access ramp. Build pipework into the bases of the planters, with breather-pipes and connect up to existing drainage, install hopper to collect water from the Swansea Vale Resource Centre's guttering.
SUDS Project Stages:
Build planter bases and position in desired location
Build up sides using tanalised timber and strengthen with timber drive bolts.
Fit drainable pipes along length and perimeter of bases and connect up to breather and outlet pipes.
Once planters were filled by the Trust, the buiding's guttering was altered to allow rain to be diverted into the planters.
Build wide-access ramp with non-slip decking to allow disabled access to the large pond planter.
Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS), detailed description:
When we were first contacted by our local Wildlife Trust we were intrigued by the scope of the project. Building garden planters on this scale was not something we had done before but we saw how beneficial this project could be so threw ourselves into it. Before we started construction we double-checked all our calculations to ensure that the walls of the planters would be able to support the weight of water, soil and plants which were to be placed inside.
The sustainable drainage system at the Swansea Vale Resource Centre is made up of three different sized planters. The first planter was a simple rectangular shape measuring 3.125m long by 0.72 wide, the second was a more complicated elongated hexagonal shape totalling 3.85m long and 1.92m at its widest point. This second planter was designed to house a pond as well as water-loving plants. Once we had built the first two planters, staff from the WTSWW lined them so that they were ready for the pipework to be added. While staff from the Trust were working on filling the planters we got to work on a third smaller planter. This one is positioned directly under one of the gutters of the building and provides a route for rain water to flow into the larger planter. Re-purposed roof tiles create a gentle waterfall effect which looks and sounds attractive.
The look and feel of the rain garden was an important aspect of the project as the planters have a dual purpose. As well as creating a sustainable drainage system they also act as a sensory garden which is beneficial to the Centre's visitors. Once we had built the wide access ramp, visitors to the Centre were able to get up close to the planter and benefit further from the sights, sounds and smells of the rain garden.
This was an interesting and unique project that we were really happy to be a part of, even if it did mean working through storm Abigail! We think that the planters turned out great and were pleased to see them featured on BBC Wales News, we're now looking forward to visiting them again in March to see how the plants are doing.