Surface Water Drainage Explained: Costs, Responsibilities & Solutions

Surface water drainage is defined as the system that removes and diverts rainwater from your property, such as roofs, driveways and roads. It is directed into the public sewer system or a nearby soakaway to prevent waterlogging and flooding in more severe cases.

This month at Express Drainage Surveys, we wanted to provide a thorough guide on the topic of surface water drainage. In this piece, you’ll learn all about what it is, who is responsible for it, how much it costs and what to do if your surface water drainage is causing issues.

Why Surface Water Drainage Matters

Surface water drainage matters whether you’re a homeowner, business owner or a property developer. It’s an integral part of any property, tying into flood prevention plans and helping to limit the environmental impact of the density with which we pack our buildings into a small space.

When you have issues with any element of your drainage system, it’s important to have it checked out with a survey to avoid hampering how it handles water.

What Is Surface Water Drainage?

Surface water drainage is that which comes from the rain and melting snow on your property. It’s different to your foul water that originates inside your property, because it’s not something you produce or control.

Even if you have a soakaway or have connected a water butt to your home’s guttering, you will likely still be sending some surface water to the general sewer system.

This is different to highway drainage, which is perhaps a little more obvious as it collects all the rainwater running down the roads through large metal drainage gullies.

How Does Surface Water Drainage Work?

Rainwater reaches the general sewer system by connecting to your drains. An example of this could be the rain that falls on your roof and is directed by your gutters down towards your drains.

Gullies, drainage pipes and surface water sewers all work to make up the key infrastructure, transporting rainwater away to be treated. When your area is subjected to heavy downpours, you’re more likely to witness your surface water drainage systems in action.

Who Is Responsible For Surface Water Drainage?

A common question that comes up for any type of drainage is that of responsibility. Who is responsible for surface water drainage services? The answer is that your local water company is responsible for adopted sewers that receive your surface water.

You, as the property owner, are responsible for maintaining the guttering on your building, as well as any private drains that the surface water may pass through to reach the sewer system. Any shared drains that were once the cause of confusion and disagreements should have been taken over by the local water company as well.

You can read more about shared drains and responsibilities in our previous post here.

Surface Water Drainage Charges and Rebates

Many people become more aware of surface water drainage when they spot it on their water bills. That’s because you can be charged by your local water company for surface water drainage.

The charges that they apply can be found on your bill and the cost depends on a number of factors, including your property type, the local regulations and the pricing structure of the company. For example, if you are one flat in a large block of flats, it’s not a guarantee that your surface water drainage costs will be lower than those of a detached home.

We mentioned earlier that there are some systems in use that take away surface water from the normal drainage flow – such as soakaways and water butts. This can lead some people to believe that they don’t need to pay the surface water charges applied by local water companies. While some people may qualify for a rebate or even a reduction in the cost of surface water drainage, most properties will have some form of surface water drainage in use.

You can contact your local water company if you believe you don’t use any surface water drainage system. They will then assess this claim to decide if you are due a rebate or reduction.

Problems Caused By Poor Surface Water Drainage

For most of us, surface water drainage is often invisible, flowing through gullies and pipes when the heavens open. However, if your surface water drainage is not kept in good condition, you could find it causing a number of problems for your property.

Poor surface water drainage can lead to:

Flooding and property damage: Water building up around your property because it isn’t being carried away efficiently enough in a downpour can wreak havoc.
Blocked gullies and overflows: If your gullies or drainage overflow system gets blocked by leaves and debris, you could find that too much water accumulates around your property.
Damp, subsidence or erosion: In some extreme scenarios, poor surface water drainage can cause damp or subsidence for your property when the ground becomes waterlogged.

Poorly designed or installed systems can be just as problematic as heavy downpours, which is why this important feature on every property shouldn’t be overlooked.

How A CCTV Drain Survey Can Help

While CCTV drain surveys are most often called upon for foul water drainage problems, they can be equally useful for assessing your surface water drainage system if you suspect there is a problem. At Express Drainage Surveys, we can help you with CCTV surveys to:

Identify blockages caused by leaves, debris or collapsed pipes within your system.
Check connections to make sure your surface water is going to the right place and hasn’t been misconnected to the foul water drains.
Carry out a condition assessment, looking for any cracked pipes or root ingress.
Map the system, helping you understand where your rainwater goes – a useful thing to have if you don’t know the layout of the drainage system on your property.

As an experienced drainage survey company, we offer a wide range of services to help homeowners and business owners alike. No matter what you need to restore the flow in your drains, we can assist with: