What is surface water drainage and what does a ground rainwater drainage system entail?

Answer 1

Answer above plus...

In properties not on mains drainage the rain water was not taken to septic tanks etc as the amount of water would be too much for the tank, it would dilute the bacteria too much.

So surface water is taken to soak aways, these need to be at least 20 feet from a house and normal have about a meter cube of rubble, creating air pockets. The rain is drained into this and it soaks into the surrounding ground.

If you have a private surface water system described here, you can get a rebate from your water company of anout £30 per year.

Answer 2

The surface water is rain running off your roof and hardstanding.

The rain that falls on hard surfaces like your house runs off very quickly into watercourses, leading to flooding problems.

The natural thing is for rain to land on the ground, sink in and recharge the ground water (where the majority of our drinking watercomes from).

Ground rainwater drainage system could be any number of things, for an average house it would be a soakaway. A soakaway is a manmade help to natures natural process, it positively aids the water into the ground.

Soakaways involve a few pipes hard core and a spade. It is easily done. Our house uses the original one from 100+ years ago.

Although very traditional it is seen as one of the better environmetal sollutions (piping them to watercourses contributes to draughts and floods). The Environment Agency (Development Control) can give you advise on your options. They call such things SUDs - Sustainable Urban Drainage systems.

I have included a link to soakaway design, the EA may have simpler ones. If you ask a Hydraulic engineer they will always find you a more expensive way, so be careful.

Answer 3

Surface water' is another word for rainwater – more specifically, rainwater that falls on the ground, on roofs and roads, pavements and paths. And you might not realise it, but you could be paying less for your water bills if surface water from your property doesn’t drain into any of our sewers.

First things first, though – how exactly do we define 'surface water'? Well, we describe it as water that falls as rain, is collected by drains and gullies on your property, before being removed by us via a public sewer. So, you could be entitled to a reduction in your water bills if:

1) All the surface water from your roof or shared roof drains directly to the ground via a soakaway at both the front or rear of your property and

2) All the surface water from your garden or hard standing areas drains directly to the ground or

3) All the surface water from your property drains directly into a watercourse, brook or stream or

4) You pay a third party to dispose of your surface water.

For more details about drainage system visit here:

Answer 4

Surface water drainage is drainage specifically laid to take surface (rain) water. In modern properties, it runs independently of the main sewers and normally runs into a water course. In older properties, the rain water and soil water often run together and is all treated at a sewage farm