The Glasgow Sustainable Urban Drainage System Management Project: Case Studies (Belvidere Hospital and Celtic FC Stadium Areas)

Abstract

The Glasgow Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) Management Project satisfies the first phase of the Glasgow Surface Water Management Project. This is Glasgow City Council's contribution to the Transformation of Rural and Urban Spatial Structure (TRUST) project, one of the European Union's (EU) interregional (INTERREG IIIB) funded research projects. The remit of this EU project comprises also other representative regions in Europe. The project shows also how SUDS can contribute to the overall catchment dynamics of cities such as Glasgow, ultimately relieving stress on the current predominantly combined sewer system. Fifty-seven sites within 46 areas of Glasgow were identified for investigation. A detailed soil chemistry analysis, a preliminary SUDS feasibility assessment and a desk study relating to historical planning issues that may be relevant for subsequent future development and regeneration options were undertaken. Detailed design and management guidelines were then drafted for selected representative demonstration areas (Belvidere Hospital and Celtic FC Stadium Areas) of high public and property developers interest, and education value. A combination of infiltration trenches or swales with ponds or underground storage were the most likely SUDS options for the majority of the demonstration areas. Soil contamination issues were considered when selecting SUDS because heavy metals such as lead and zinc can cause environmental health problems.

Selecting Sustainable Drainage Structures Based on Ecosystem Service Variables Estimated by Different Stakeholder Groups

“…The relatively high variability for most variables such as ponds and constructed wetlands cannot be explained by factors relating to specific planning policies for Greater Manchester. Ponds are associated with the greatest inter-site variability because of their potentially relatively small size and great popularity [5,6,19]. Note: * Proportion (%) of sites at which sustainable drainage system techniques are given first, second or third order of preference based on different professional perspectives (weights in Table 3).…”

“…The standard site assessment template was based on a combination of the frameworks developed by Scholz and his team for retrofitting of SuDS techniques in Glasgow, Edinburgh and elsewhere [4,6], and the Construction Industry Research and Information Association guidelines [1,13]. Each potential SuDS site was assessed during a site visit by a group of experts (2 to 5 team members) to reduce subjectivity [14].…”

“…SuDS are capable of managing and controlling surface runoff through techniques such as infiltration, detention/attenuation, conveyance and/or rain harvesting [1,6]. Potential improvement opportunities in terms of ecosystem services including aesthetics, amenity and biodiversity by introducing SuDS are often neglected by engineers and planners in practice [5].…”

The Glasgow Strategic Drainage Plan

“…and receiving water ecology and habitat (Scholtz 2005 ). In a parallel study elsewhere in Glasgow, Scholtz et al (2006) suggested the use of below -ground storage in combination with surface swales and attenuation ponds as an alternative drainage solution which would reduce the pressure on land take. As much as 110,000 m 2 might be taken out of the Gadburn development site for the construction of SUDS, which would represent a substantial capital loss to the developers.…”

Classification methodology for Sustainable Flood Retention Basins

“…The proposed classification methodology follows a similar rationale as the novel classification key for ditches in wetlands Table 9 Prioritisation example for classification variables (see Table 1 (Scholz, 2006;Scholz and Lee, 2005;Scholz and Trepel, 2004) and the Sustainable Urban Drainage Decision Support Model (Scholz, 2006;Scholz et al, 2006). However, the selected classification variables are obviously different.…”