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Thames Water has launched a £20 million campaign to turn 20 hectares of urban hard surfaces into green spaces over the next five years, to help ease pressure on the sewer network.
The Twenty 4 Twenty initiative will see areas dominated by concrete and asphalt turned into rain gardens and natural drainage areas, and concrete pathways will be replaced with permeable paving.
This will slow rain water down before it enters the sewers or lets it drain away naturally into the ground, helping reduce the risk of sewer flooding and pollution following heavy rainfall.
Thames Water director Richard Aylard said: “We work really hard to make sure our sewers are as empty as possible whenever heavy rain is expected but it’s important we also look at how to reduce surface water getting into them in the first place.
“We’ve set aside £20 million to help support new and exciting sustainable drainage projects across our patch over the next five years. Our aim is to help create at least 20 hectares, equivalent to about 30 football pitches, of green infrastructure to capture rainwater by 2020.”
The initiative is part of Thames Water’s long-term programme to help reduce the strain on the sewerage network, and builds on existing sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) which the firm has been involved in.
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