A handful of water companies are pressing ahead with sustainable drainage (Suds) projects in the face of government inaction, Utility Week has learnt.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is preparing guidance on implementing Suds, but does not expect to publish it before April 2014.
Northumbrian Water said it was aiming to set the agenda with an integrated drainage pilot in its Tyneside catchment, working with five local authorities, the Environment Agency and the Consumer Council for Water. It planned to replicate the approach across the rest of its region next year. “I don’t think people are waiting to be told what to do by government,” said Richard Warneford, wastewater director at Northumbrian Water. “The standards will come when they come. They will of course be useful, but as responsible organisations we are getting on with it.”
The company is completing feasibility studies and planning investment for projects such as creating ponds and distributing water butts. It also intends to develop templates for partnership and protocols for data sharing.
Northumbrian has committed £850,000 towards the initiative.