The Sustainable Drainage Applied Research Group (SUDS ARG) draws on broad cross-faculty expertise to develop interdisciplinary aspects of sustainable drainage. The group includes professionals with expertise in porous paving, environmental geochemistry, the microbiology of geotextile, geographical information systems (GIS), constructed wetlands and urban hydrology.
In recent years staff from SUDS ARG have secured funding from a range of agencies including the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Coventry City Council. The team also carry out commercial work and have completed projects for companies including Tarmac Ltd and Bostik.
Key Areas of Activity include:
- Monitoring the efficiency of porous surfaces to treat contaminants including oils and heavy metals
- Modelling for the design of constructed wetlands and monitoring of performance
- The use of GIS in flood risk assessment pre and post-SUDS emplacement
- Contaminant distribution and tracing, using mineral magnetism and radioactive nuclides to determine sources and sinks of fine particulate material in SUDS
- Assessment of grass species for use in vegetated devices such as swales and planted car park surfaces and their efficiency in contaminant treatment
- Distribution and physico-chemical properties of silt in kerbside channels and techniques of water harvesting
- Validating manufacturers claims of the scientific properties of materials