Managing rainwater runoff

By improving how you manage your rainwater runoff, you can help to protect your property, the local environment and water resources.

Why manage your rainwater runoff

Rain is a valuable resource, but too often we treat it as waste.

Across the UK, most homes and streets are designed to quickly drain rainwater into sewers.

By managing your rainwater runoff, you could:

• protect your property from sewer flooding during wet weather
• protect our rivers and the sea by reducing the operation of storm overflows
• reduce your water use and lower your water and sewerage bills
• save money through our rainwater drainage allowance
• make better use of rainwater by using it for non-drinking water uses such as garden watering, instead of using treated drinking water unnecessarily.

Across the UK, a significant proportion of rainwater is sent straight into sewers, which carry sewage, even though up to 30% of household water use could be met using rainwater collected from roofs.

How to improve your rainwater management

The most effective approach is to manage rain better where it lands – capturing it, slowing it down and allowing it to soak naturally into the ground.

You don’t need large infrastructure to make a difference. Small changes can significantly reduce runoff.

Use a water butt

A water butt can collect and store rainwater that lands on the roof of your home, garage or shed. This water can then be used in your garden during dry weather.

If you install a water butt, we recommend directing its overflow to your garden. If you have a rain garden or soakaway, you should direct it there instead.

Using a water butt reduces demand for treated drinking water and helps store rainwater for use when it’s needed most.

Use a planter

A planter is an easy and attractive way to grow flowers, herbs, or vegetables while helping manage rainwater naturally. Connect a planter to your roof downpipe so that rainwater flows directly into it, allowing it to soak into the soil instead of running into drains.

Some planters include built-in water storage. This can either slowly feed water back to the plants, helping them stay healthy for longer, or be fitted with a small tap so you can reuse the stored rainwater elsewhere in your garden.

Unlike a water butt, which mainly stores water for later, a planter makes use of rainwater straight away. It also brightens your space and helps attract birds, bees and butterflies.

Create a rain garden

A rain garden is a simple way to turn excess rainwater into something useful and attractive. It’s a shallow, planted area that collects water from roofs, driveways and patios, allowing it to soak gently into the ground instead of running straight into drains.

By directing your downpipes into the rain garden, you slow the flow of water and help prevent puddling and runoff. The soil and specially chosen plants can cope with both very wet and dry conditions, so it works hard all year round.

Once established, a rain garden is low maintenance and doesn’t need regular watering. It can absorb more water than a typical lawn, helping you manage heavy rainfall with ease.

As well as its practical benefits, it brings a richer mix of plant life into your garden and creates a more natural, balanced outdoor space that feels greener, calmer and more enjoyable to spend time in.

For more information, see Royal Horticultural Society's guidance for creating a rain garden.

Think about drainage

Think about drainage before you pave over your garden, upgrade your driveway or construct a patio.

For new driveways and paved areas, drainage requirements should always be considered at the design stage to help manage rainwater sustainably.

The type of surface you choose can have a big impact on drainage. Concrete and some types of block paving can prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground.

Instead, consider using gravel, porous asphalt or other drainage-friendly surfaces. Permeable paving looks like conventional block paving but is designed to allow water to pass through the joints and underlying layers to stop surface water run-off.

We also recommend keeping as much green space around your property as possible. Lawns, planting beds and other landscaped areas help absorb rainfall, reduce runoff and support local biodiversity.

For more information, see GOV.UK's guidance on the permeable surfacing of front gardens.

Build a soakaway

A soakaway is a hole in the ground filled with stones or specially designed plastic crates.

They allow water to soak directly into the ground. This helps prevent flooding and reduce stress on the sewer network.

Soakaways manage rainwater by keeping it close to where it lands and allowing it to infiltrate naturally.

Working together to improve rainwater management

Managing rainwater isn’t just about individual properties, it is a shared responsibility. Across the UK, organisations are working together to improve how rainwater is managed by:

• updating planning rules and building standards to support sustainable drainage
• encouraging the reuse of rainwater in homes and new developments
• providing incentives to help households and developers manage rainwater locally
• joining up funding and policies across water, housing and environmental sectors
• supporting communities to take an active role in managing rain where they live

By taking a more coordinated approach, we can stop managing the consequences and start managing the causes.

Sustainability begins with harnessing nature and then mimicking it.