United Utilities is working with the local community and Fylde Council to support flood resilience in Freckleton by managing rainwater.
The water company is offering free rainwater planters to selected suitable homes in the village. By slowing the flow of rainwater during times of heavy rainfall, the planters can play an important role in easing pressure on the sewer network and help boost flood resilience.
The project is one of the first to be delivered as part of United Utilities’ region-wide £280 million Rainwater Management programme.
The attractive planters are made in the North West and will be installed onto a downflow pipe on eligible properties. They feature an area at the top for plants and are provided with four different low maintenance plants which have been selected for their capacity to retain water.
The multi-purpose planters feature a 150-litre tank that holds back rainwater to prevent it all hitting the sewer network at the same time. There’s also a 30L rainwater storage tank which acts like a mini water butt, perfect for use around the garden.
A typical house roof gathers around 30,000 litres of rainwater every year – equivalent to 300 bathtubs of water. Typically, this water goes straight down the drain and mixes with the foul water putting extra pressure on sewers.
Through this scheme there is potential to stop up to 65,000 litres of excess rainwater from immediately entering the drainage network during just one heavy rainfall event – that’s the same as 434 bathtubs.
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