World Water Day 2020, on 22 March, is about water and climate change – and how the two are inextricably linked. Adapting to the water effects of climate change will protect health and save lives.

Climate delay is almost as dangerous as climate denial. Every country in the world must work more quickly. Extreme weather events are making water more scarce, more unpredictable, more polluted or all three. Humans need water to survive, as do all the systems we rely on: sanitation, healthcare, education, business and industry. Action plans to tackle climate change need to be integrated across different sectors and coordinated across borders. And they must have one thing in common: safe and sustainable water management.

How this is related to Geosynthetics Ltd? SuDs.

Sustainable Urban Drainage System.  Most natural ground surfaces, such as grass and soil, are permeable. Built up areas are very different, featuring predominantly tarmac, asphalt and other kinds of paving.These are not permeable, and surface water is unable to infiltrate the ground. The resulting surface runoff can cause a number of issues, including water pollution and flooding.

What are the other problems caused by urban drainage systems?

• Less vegetation alters surface runoff patterns and reduces drainage
• There are lots of natural depressions in the ground, which can hold water as large puddles for much longer
• Surface runoff is much quicker due to amount of paving and concrete
• Urban pollutants are more widespread
• SuDS aims to solve the problems listed above by encouraging land developers to decrease flow rates through a number of measures, including re-use of water and allowing the earth to absorb more.

SuDS promotes better management of water flow through urban environments, including the following:

1. Source Control: Reduces the amount of water entering the drainage system.
2. Retention: Providing better water storage elsewhere, such as in ponds.
3. Pre-Treatment: Removes pollutants from the water
4. Infiltration: Encouraging more water to soak into the ground

In April 2015, national planning policy was strengthened and SuDS were made a requirement to be provided in all major new developments where appropriate.Also, All new driveways now need to comply with SuDS regulations when it comes to tackling surface runoff, especially in built up areas.

Geosynthetics Ltd’s Grass Protection Range of products: Golpla® Grass & Gravel Reinforcement and Total Traffic Exopave (TTE®) – Heavy Duty Paver are both fully SuDs compliant systems.

Golpla® Grass & Gravel Reinforcement

Golpla® is designed to retain gravel and reinforce grass for a wide range of applications. Manufactured to interlock with hooks and eyes, this assists the installer in maintaining line and level for a simple installation. The system is ideal for general trafficking use and for all forms of architectural landscaping. The configuration of hexagonal cells coupled with the use of high-density plastics allows for a reduction of wall thickness, resulting in a high-strength structure, which is visually unobtrusive: 95% of the surface area available for infill.

High infiltration and SuDs compliant

Total Traffic Exopave (TTE®) – Heavy Duty Paver

Total Traffic Exopave (TTE®) is a Heavy Duty Paver designed for HGV use. In combining strength and versatility, TTE® is a unique permeable, heavy duty paving system. The interlocking pavers can withstand weight of up to 40 tonnes and can be filled with either grass or gravel infill. SuDS compliant, TTE® is the perfect heavy duty paver for permanent and overspill coach or HGV parking applications. This product is easy to install and offers significant savings over conventional cast concrete systems.

SuDs Compliant – Permanently water permeable and breathable due to a high number of joints and large pore volumes.