Sustainable drainage systems:performance & whole life costs
One day workshop

29 November 2005, SOAS, University of London, UK

This one-day workshop will present the results of a major research project 
into the evaluation of SUDS performance and the development of a new tool 
for assessing the whole life costs of SUDS. The WLC tool will be 
demonstrated and provided free to attending delegates.

INTRODUCTION
SUDS offer significant benefits over conventional drainage systems. They 
have the potential to attenuate runoff through storage, reduce total flows 
and enhance groundwater recharge via infiltration. They also present 
opportunities for ‘natural’ treatment processes (such as sedimentation, 
filtration, adsorption and biological degradation) of the urban runoff 
pollutants. However many of the components of SUDS systems are relatively 
new to the water industry. This means there is some uncertainty in terms 
of their costs, operational requirements and performance. 

This one day workshop will present the findings of a major reasearch 
project which was jointly-funded by UKWIR/WERF (USA), “Performance and 
Whole Life Costs of Best Management Practices and Sustainable Urban 
Drainage Systems”. The project has pushed forward the boundaries of 
knowledge in relation to water quality performance and Whole Life Costs of 
SUDS. A new Whole Life Cost tool, which engineers can use when designing 
SUDS, has been developed as part of the project. The tool, developed by HR 
Wallingford, will be made freely available to attendees. It has drawn upon 
all available data on the construction and operation of various SUDS 
components and addresses all aspects of both financial as well as non-
monetary cost valuation on a whole life cost basis. 

This meeting will be of interest to a wide range of individuals involved 
in all aspects of the design, construction and maintenance of SUDS 
including representatives from government agencies, water companies, local 
authorities, and consultants.

FREE WHOLE LIFE COST ASSESSMENT TOOL
Delegates attending this workshop will receive a copy of the new Whole 
Life Costs assessment tool on CD ROM.

PROGRAMME 
09:30 Registration & refreshments
10:15 Welcome & general introduction
 Mike Farrimond, UKWIR (Chair)
10:30 Why was this research needed?
 Water company perspectives
 Jim Conlin, Scottish Water
 Local Authority perspectives
 Graham Fairhurst, Telford & Wrekin Council
11:00 Project objectives and outcomes Peter Martin, Black & Veatch
11:15 Refreshments
11:30 The whole life cost model: development and structure, with examples
 Bridget Woods-Ballard, HR Wallingford
12:30 Discussion
13:00 Buffet lunch
14:10 SUDS - overview of water quality performance
 Richard Kellagher, HR Wallingford
14:30 SUDS operation and maintenance: observations & recommendations
 Richard Kellagher, HR Wallingford
15:00 Coffee
15:15 A summary of the progress gained and the way forward for SUDS
 Jim Conlin, Scottish Water
15:35 Discussion
15:50 Close

Confirmation of timings will be sent to the delegates as part of their 
joining instructions. We  reserve the right to make changes to the 
programme content at any time.

50% DISCOUNT ON PROJECT REPORTS
Outputs and data from the research project is  available from UKWIR. 
Delegates attending this event will receive a voucher entitling them to 
claim £250 off the total price of this publication (usually £500). For 
more information contact Pauline Avery at UKWIR ([log in to unmask]).

VENUE
The workshop will be held in the Brunei Gallery at the University of 
London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Located just off 
Russell Square in the heart of London, the Gallery has excellent public 
transport links. 

FEES
UKWIR members can attend this one-day workshop free of charge. For non-
members, the fee is £250 plus VAT per participant and includes 
documentation, WLC tool on CD ROM, lunch and refreshments. All delegates 
will receive a voucher entitling them to claim £250 off the cost of the 
project report.

A registration form can be downloaded from 
http://www.hrwallingford.co.uk/training/programme.html. Alternatively, 
contact [log in to unmask]