Costs of Implementing Sustainable Drainage

As with many construction and installation projects, the total cost of implementing SuDS is entirely dependent on the requirements of the project and installation, and the scale.

There are, however, some key costs you may wish to keep in mind to help estimate your overall outgoings when implementing sustainable drainage in your projects. We have split these into three main areas, so you can visualise the costs through the entire lifetime of the project.

Procurement - Planning and Design

Depending on your skillset, you may need to hire external contractors to actually carry out the design and planning stage of the installation, even if you’re the one doing all the heavy lifting. They will have exceptional knowledge about rules and legislation surrounding sustainable drainage and will be able to design a system perfect for yours or your client’s requirements.

They will also have good knowledge of the local area and the amount of work required to minimise surface water flooding, therefore it’s worth paying out for someone to get the job done once and done well.

Construction Costs

This would cover your labour costs if you’re hiring people to install for you or help alongside yourself. It would also cover the cost of raw materials and equipment, such as soakaway crates and silt traps, and any digging or installation equipment such as cranes or diggers.

Management and Maintenance Costs

As with all forms of drainage, SuDS components should be inspected and maintained in order to prevent failure of the system and keep everything working smoothly.

Many sustainable drainage systems will be able to be maintained with regular landscape maintenance, and this should have been planned for in the design elements of your system.

The specific maintenance required will again be dependent on your exact system, but you should plan for general maintenance like inspection of inlets and outlets monthly, silt removal and control annually, and also bigger repair and remedial tasks as and when they come about.

Although these costs can add up, sustainable drainage systems can actually lead to greater cost benefits and recovery over time, so although the initial investment may seem like a large amount to part with, you’re likely to reap the benefits over the coming years.

Shop our sustainable drainage products and start your SuDS journey today.