United Utilities has become the first water company to introduce a charging scheme for developers to encourage them not to connect new developments to the public sewer network.

The company has told developers that from next April, development sites that do not connect surface water flows to the public sewer network will receive a discount of 90% on the wastewater infrastructure charge.

Read the press release here

The company has confirmed that “surface water flows would be dealt with either via infiltration (drain to ground), or discharge to watercourse, this could be via a variety of drainage solutions.” However, they have not stipulated “any specific SuDS solutions that may be used to stop surface water from entering the public sewer network.”

Will the announcement affect developers’ attitude to SuDS, and will other water companies might follow suit?