Southern Water and Council Tackle Storm Overflow Problem
Brighton and Hove Council has agreed a partnership with Southern Water to reduce storm overflows polluting the seafront through natural drainage solutions.
New partnership to cut storm overflows
Southern Water and Brighton and Hove City Council have agreed to work together to improve surface drainage and reduce storm overflows into the sea. The agreement forms part of Southern Water's wider £1.5 billion Clean Rivers and Seas Plan, now in its first year.
Under the partnership, both organisations will collaborate on creating sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). These use natural solutions including swales, tree pits and raingardens to tackle flooding and reduce storm overflows by removing excess surface water that would otherwise enter combined sewer systems.
Nick Mills, Southern Water's director for environment and innovation, said: "Having close relationships with councils in Sussex is crucial in our mission to create healthier rivers and seas. These agreements open up an exciting opportunity to work side by side on practical, nature-based solutions that cut storm overflows, strengthen our climate resilience and make a real difference for local communities."
Brighton's existing rainscape project
Brighton and Hove has already started implementing similar measures. The council previously worked with Brighton University to create a rainscape in Moulsecoomb alongside the A270 Lewes Road at Wild Park. This project aims to keep surface water run-off from roads from entering the chalk aquifer that supplies drinking water across the area.
Wider regional effort
The Brighton and Hove agreement is one of several similar partnerships established across the South East. West Sussex County Council has also entered into a landmark agreement with Southern Water on the same issue. Beyond Sussex, six additional councils have committed to comparable arrangements: Kent County Council, Medway Council, Southampton City Council, Portsmouth City Council, Hampshire County Council and Isle of Wight Council.
Southern Water said that closer collaboration with local organisations is essential to finding solutions that prevent surface water entering sewers. The water company emphasised that by working together with councils, progress can be made faster through practical, nature-based approaches to environmental improvement.
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