Rainwater Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) Planters
Why SuDS Planters are crucial in a changing climate.
Many flash flooding incidents are due to unprecedented heavy rainfall, combined with failing defences or drainage systems that are insufficient or blocked and cannot absorb the surface area flows. This is when Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) Planters are at their most effective and, with these incidents becoming more frequent, they offer a more affordable solution when retro-groundworks options are inappropriate or too expensive.
East of Eden Rainwater SuDS planters offer a sustainable and affordable option that meet the “four pillars” of SuDS design.
Water quantity: Manages the rate and volume of runoff to reduce flood risk by
controlling the peak flow and volume of water roof rainwater released into the local water system.
Water quality: Improves water quality by using techniques including filtration and sedimentation,
to prevent pollution of groundwater and other water bodies.
Amenity: Using sustainable construction materials and approproriate planting
they create pleasant, safe, and accessible spaces for people to enjoy,
and interact with nature, which adds aesthetic value to communities.
Biodiversity: By integrating greenery into urban landscapes, SuDS planters create microhabitats that
support a variety of plants, pollinators, and other wildlife. This helps combat the decline in urban biodiversity
and contributes to the"Biodiversity Net Gain" requirements in new developments
Other Advantages offered by SuDS Planters
Aesthetic and Amenity Benefits: Beyond their functional uses, well-designed SuDS planters enhance the
visual appeal of urban spaces, creating more pleasant and healthy environments for residents, employees, and students
in schools. They also offer educational opportunities about the water cycle and sustainability.
Space Efficiency: SuDS planters are particularly valuable in densely populated urban areas where space for large-scale, ground-based solutions like ponds or swales is limited. They are an effective, space-saving solution that can be easily integrated into existing streetscapes and developments (retrofit applications)
Urban Cooling:which can reduce local air temperatures and improve air quality in cities.
The vegetation in the planters helps mitigate the "urban heat island effect" through shading and evapotranspiration,
A Sustainable Way to Manage Rainwater Surface Runoff
Our rainwater SuDS planters offer an affordable, low maintenance, aesthetic water storage, purification and slow release system that will effectively slow the flow of rain water into the main drainage system This will help prevent the drainage and sewerage systems becoming overwhelmed during high periods of rainfall.
Suitable for both retrofit and new developments, our planters are designed to fit seemlessly into a building's roof drainage system. Rainwater is effectively directed into the planter's internal rainfall capture, storage and slow release system preventing roof area run off from overwhelming the drainage grates and grids.
We are pleased to offer our clients a bespoke service at no extra cost to suit your site's precise specifications.
Our Innovative SuDS Planter Design
SuDS Planter Storage and Flow Rates
The storage volume and retention and subsequent outflow rates will vary with the dimension of the planter to be incorporated into the scheme.
East of Eden SuDS Rain Garden planters are all based on the internal design features as recommended by South East Rivers Trust, which was founded on extensive trial studies.
The SuDS Manual states that typically the surface area of a bioretention feature would be 2-4% of the overall site area being drained, to prevent rapid clogging of the bioretention surface. Based on this guidance, the surface area of any planter (or combination of planters) should not be less than 2-4% of the roof area it is draining. Where possible, the size of the planter should reflect this recommendation.
As such, we offer a range of standard planter sizes to use from
1000mm L x 650mm W x 900mm H to 2000mm L x 650mm W x 900mm H.
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Storage Layer
As mentioned, the storage value will depend on the dimensions of the planters. With a planting layer of 450 mm, this would leave approximately 400 mm for a sub-base water storage layer in our standard 850cm high planter.
A major advantage of our unique design is the suspended permeable Draintex geotextile lined floor with Delta dimpled sheeting providing a substate layer reservoir of water to sustain the plants during dry periods.
Importantly, this also means that the sub-base layer is completely dedicated to water storage, in contrast to most other designs where the water stored is part of the substrate layers, significantly reducing their water storage capacity.
With a dedicated water only storage area, our rain garden planters are able to hold almost twice as much water, which is critical during a deluge, which will then be released slowly.
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Outflow and Infiltration Rates
The standard SuDs raingarden planters are drained via a perforated drainage pipe running internally along the bottom of the planter. A number of factors influence the drainage rate, including drainage pipe diameter, soil mix and the density of the vegetation including root systems which all impact the infiltration rate.
We recommend using an open, free draining peat free soil mix of 15% loam soil or John Innes No.3 with 85% peat free multipurpose compost.
If planted with shallow, light rooting plants, the outflow rate ranges from 15 - 20 litres per hour (0.0042 - 0.0055 litres per second) depending on the head of water.
We recommend light rooting planting, such as small perrenials, grasses and flowering annual pollinators as the infiltration rate will be mostly impaired by the formation of a dense root network from more mature shrub-like plants.
Annual planting that can significantly enhance the BNG value of your SuDs planters can be replenished each year. Hence they are ideal for creating wildflower pollinators, long summer flowering and a minimum rooting system, that can be cultivated annually to retain a free draining soil/compost mix.
Please see the RHS guide to pollinators HERE
East of Eden SuDS Planters linked to Rain Gardens
Water may discharge from a planter into the normal drains or it could be diverted further into a Rain Garden.
For an enhance biophilic and aesthetic effect, we like to encourage the construction of landscaped features that the water could travel along and slowly percolate into the soil, such as:
- an attractively constructed rill
- gulley
- channel into a garden bed
A Sustainable Way to Manage Surface Water
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