The Metropolitan Glasgow Strategic Drainage Partnership
Scottish Water has been working with its key partners at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow City Council to tackle the issues of drainage and sewerage in the metropolitan Glasgow area since 2002, when the city suffered major flooding.
We have progressed a range of measures to reduce the risk of flooding, including: fast action Scottish Water ‘choke squads’ to clear sewers; council ‘hit squads’ to clear watercourses; multi-million pound investment in sewerage improvements; and the removal of almost 500 properties from the At Risk flood register.
This partnership, which will also include North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire councils, is now at a crucial stage.
The measures taken since 2002 are a start, but major investment and effort will be required over the next 25 years to ensure that metropolitan Glasgow’s drainage network can cope with a changing climate, improve the environment and support modern development requirements.
If you would like to find out more, read our information bulletin (pdf) which looks at what has been done and the future plans to upgrade the network.
Flooding
The Government is currently considering a Flooding Bill which will deal with all types of flooding. The complex nature of flooding - with many agencies responsible for different aspects of the sewer and drainage systems in communities - means that a partnership approach is needed to tackle flooding.
Urban underground drainage systems are made up of complex networks of sewer pipes, gullies, burns and culverts (covered watercourses). Ownership and duties are split between various agencies and landowners.
The MGSDP has undertaken a considerable amount of work to evaluate Glasgow's complex drainage infrastructure. Computer modelling has begun to show how rivers, sewers and watercourses work during normal and storm conditions.
This helps better understand problems and helps identify the most effective solution. It has already led to informed and innovative decisions which ensure that the MGSDP plays its part in the success of the Clyde Gateway and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.
This includes improved surface water management to prevent the waste water system from being overwhelmed by diverting into 'green corridors', flood plains or storage areas until a storm passes.
