Sustainable SuDS

A best-practice Sustainable Drainage (SuDS) scheme using filtration and bioretention technologies from Hydro International is being used at Aberdeen’s new International Business Park.

A wide-variety of SuDS components have been included for the 31,000 m2 first phase of the development to meetthe level of treatment required by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to help protect the water quality of the River Dee, a well-known salmon river.

To meet stringent planning requirements, consultants Mott MacDonald selected Hydro International’s unique Up-Flo filtration units and Hydro BioCell biofiltration units for key parts of the site.

The Hydro BioCell is a biofiltration device that looks like a normal tree or shrub planted through a grate. Underneath, a pre-cast concrete chamber contains a layer of enhanced mulch and a soil filter medium to deliver high levels of surface water treatment before the water is discharged into the drainage system.

The flush profile of the Hydro BioCell grate, with its treeplanting feature, is used to treatgeneral pollutants in the runoff from the courtyard, which covers about 0.3 hectares. The runoff is also passed through filter trenches to provide the two levels of treatment required by SEPA.