Sustainable Drainage Systems
Smart Solutions for modern water management
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) provide an effective approach to managing surface water, promoting sustainability, and reducing environmental impact. ViaCon delivers innovative solutions that enhance water conservation while minimizing flood risks and improving infrastructure resilience.
Advanced technology for reliable drainage
ViaCon’s sustainable drainage systems are engineered using advanced materials and customizable designs, ensuring durability and efficiency. From underground storage tanks to modular filtration units, these systems are built to handle diverse environmental conditions with minimal maintenance requirements.
Enhancing Infrastructure with Sustainable Solutions
Our product range, including corrugated steel pipes and retention basins, supports sustainable drainage systems that reduce reliance on traditional drainage networks and mitigate stormwater runoff. These systems contribute to long-term sustainability and operational efficiency.
Why choose ViaCon’s drainage systems?
ViaCon’s solutions for sustainable drainage systems combine quality, efficiency, and environmental responsibility. We provide tailored systems designed to support sustainable development, helping you achieve environmental goals and build resilient infrastructure for the future.
What Are Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)?
Sustainable drainage systems — commonly known as SuDS — are designed to manage surface water runoff as close to its source as possible, mimicking natural drainage processes. Unlike traditional piped drainage that rapidly conveys rainwater to combined sewers and watercourses, SuDS use a sequence of techniques to slow, store, treat and release water gradually. This reduces flood risk, improves water quality and enhances biodiversity.
In England, SuDS are a mandatory planning consideration under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and supported by Defra’s Schedule 3 implementation under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. Local planning authorities routinely require SuDS for all major developments, making compliance essential for project approval. ViaCon’s underground drainage systems form a key component of SuDS strategies where surface-level solutions alone cannot meet attenuation and treatment requirements.
SuDS Components: From Source Control to Conveyance
A comprehensive SuDS scheme typically incorporates multiple treatment stages. Source control measures such as permeable paving and green roofs reduce runoff at origin. Conveyance features including swales and filter drains transport water to storage elements — this is where ViaCon’s engineered steel solutions play a critical role. Our stormwater attenuation tanks provide below-ground storage that controls discharge rates to greenfield runoff levels, while soakaway tanks enable infiltration where ground conditions permit.
For developments requiring water reuse alongside SuDS compliance, rainwater harvesting systems can be integrated into the attenuation design — capturing roof water for non-potable reuse before controlled release of surplus into the drainage network. This dual-function approach maximises BREEAM credits and reduces both mains water demand and surface water discharge.
Why Steel SuDS Infrastructure Outperforms Plastic Alternatives
ViaCon’s corrugated steel tanks and pipes offer verified structural performance that plastic crate systems cannot match. With design lives exceeding 100 years, full load-bearing capacity beneath trafficked areas, and 100% recyclability at end of life, steel SuDS components deliver genuine whole-life sustainability. Installation is typically 25% faster than concrete equivalents, reducing programme risk and site disruption.
Our engineering team provides hydraulic design support, working with your drainage consultant to size attenuation volumes and discharge controls to site-specific requirements. View completed SuDS projects: Brighton & Hove Albion FC and deep-depth soakaway solution.
Steel: The smarter choice
The strength and sustainability of steel provides durability and lifespan advantages for construction projects.
Value engineering
With consultative problem solving and the versatility of steel, value engineering ensures adaptable, cost-effective solutions.
Case studies
Discover the full range of real-world implementations and sustainability benefits of ViaCon solutions and expertise.
Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are a modern and environmentally conscious approach to managing surface water from rainfall. Instead of quickly channeling water away in traditional pipes, SuDS aim to mimic nature’s own way of managing water to reduce flood risks, improve water quality, and create more resilient infrastructure.
As cities expand and weather patterns become more extreme, traditional drainage systems are often overloaded. SuDS are crucial because they manage water close to the source, which reduces the load on municipal drainage networks, minimizes the risk of flooding, and contributes to more sustainable, long-term urban development.
A SuDS solution from ViaCon is a tailored system that can consist of several high-performance products. Core components often include corrugated steel pipes for water conveyance, underground storage and retention basins to hold and slowly release water, and modular filtration units to treat it before it is returned to the natural environment.
Absolutely. We understand that every site has unique conditions. Our sustainable drainage systems are engineered with customizable designs to meet your project’s specific requirements, environmental conditions, and regulatory standards, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency.
Choosing ViaCon means investing in a solution that combines quality, efficiency, and environmental responsibility. We use advanced and sustainable materials to create tailored systems that require minimal maintenance. Our expertise helps you achieve your environmental goals, manage water effectively, and build truly resilient infrastructure for the future.
Welcome to the ViaCon design toolkit
We have put together a selection of useful tools, calculators, information and downloadable resources to help you find what you need quickly and get the most out of your ViaCon system.