United Utilities has announced a £30m package of measures to make Liverpool more ‘spongy’ by transforming the way rainwater is managed. 

With extreme rainfall becoming more frequent, it says the investment will manage water in a more sustainable way by capturing rain where it falls - slowing the flow into sewers, easing pressure on the network and helping to reduce the operation of storm overflows.

The programme will see a raft of interventions, including rain gardens, green roofs, urban wetlands and ‘greener’ playgrounds - all designed to soak up rainwater like a sponge and reduce reliance on traditional concrete solutions such as storage tanks.

As part of the investment, which will be delivered by 2030, the company will work alongside global experts to bring ‘sponge city’ principles, already in use in cities including New York and Shanghai, to Liverpool.

United Utilities CEO, Louise Beardmore, said: “To tackle the challenges of climate change, we need to make our urban areas more spongy. We recognise the value of water as a resource and the importance of working with rainfall and runoff, rather than against it - slowing the flow, reducing flooding, and creating greener, more resilient places for our communities.”

The investment was announced at the Flood and Coast Conference in Liverpool and builds on the agreement struck last year with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the Mersey Rivers Trust to tackle flood risk, reduce sewage discharges and improve water quality.

Around 85% of sewers in Merseyside are combined, meaning rainwater and wastewater flow through the same pipes. During heavy rainfall, storm overflows may be used to prevent sewage backing up into homes and streets.

 Work is already underway across Liverpool. In Deysbrook, United Utilities has partnered with Alder Hey Hospital on a £536,000 scheme to cut flooding by diverting rainwater away from the combined sewer into new surface water drains.

More than 700 water-saving planters have also been provided to local residents, each capable of holding up to 200 litres of water and helping households reuse rainwater while reducing potential flood risk in the area.

 The company is also working with major retailers and multi-site owners, including Liverpool ONE, to introduce rain gardens, while its Future Leaders of Water programme has helped 33% of Liverpool’s flood-prone schools become spongier and greener with plans to work with another 100 schools.

Read more about Sponge City technologies in Infrastructure Intelligence's Future of Water magazine