PhD: Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems for increased drainage and wastewater infrastructure resilience

Gustavo De Almeida (UoS), Ivan Haigh (UoS), Vicky Farwig (Wessex Water)

To apply for this project please click here. Tick programme type – Research, tick Full-time or Part-time, select Academic year – ‘2024/25, Faculty Environmental and Life Sciences’, search text – ‘PhD Ocean & Earth Science (FLOOD CDT)’. In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the project and supervisor(s) you are interested in applying for. if you have any problems please contact I.D.Haigh@soton.ac.uk.

Rationale:

The increased occurrence of heavy rainstorms associated with climate change results in increased runoff from roofs, and hard surfaces leading to more water entering the sewer network. This causes the sewers to be overwhelmed and results in either sewer flooding or for storm overflows to automatically operate. If rainwater is captured before it enters the sewers it can help increase the capacity and the resilience of the drainage and wastewater infrastructure. The management of surface water presents significant opportunities to deliver an increased use of nature-based solutions and surface water separation opportunities through retrofitting Sustainable urban Drainage Solutions (SuDS). These solutions also can deliver multiple wider outcomes (water quantity, quality, water resources, amenity, biodiversity etc) and open opportunities for development of partnership solutions where drainage systems interact. Key to achieving a greater implementation of retro-fit SUDS and surface water management is a need for a more convincing evidence base to:

– demonstrate the proposed investment needs are the right ones for the long-term at a catchment-wide and local scale.

– a more robust approach to assessment / evidence of costs and benefits of solutions, particularly where schemes deliver multiple benefits for customers and the environment.

– develop innovative ways of mainstreaming SuDS and surface water management, across catchments at different scales throughout the whole process from design construction and delivery.

Inform how adaptive planning can be applied to implementation of SuDS and sustainable solutions or where traditional ‘grey’ solutions offer the best value solution.

Methodology:

This research aims to improve understanding how to model impacts and benefits of installing SuDS at a catchment and local scale. The first objective will be to review existing data and approaches to modelling SuDS and quantifying the benefits. The second objective will be to develop an approach for adaptive planning relating to the use of SuDS and traditional solutions, considering relevant scenarios and decision points to be tested. The third objective will be to develop the tools and evidence base to support future strategic decision making.

Location:

University of Southampton

Background Reading: