New mindset needed to protect from water bankruptcy as droughts and temperatures on the rise
Following predictions that Summer 2026 will see droughts in the UK, ACO Technologies is urging those involved in projects that include drainage to ensure they are implementing sustainable practices around water management.
The ongoing climate emergency has seen a drop in April’s rainfall by 23% when compared with the average, and the unusually dry month paves the way for droughts later on in the year.
Longer-term forecasts predict that a “super El Niño” weather pattern will make Summer 2027 the hottest on UK records, which further shows the need for the industry to implement water sustainability best practices as a high priority in every project.
Implementation is complex, however, as the challenge is twofold: that of needing to conserve water in dry spells as well as manage increasing extreme and frequent rainfall events.
ACO advises engineers to adopt a straightforward methodology, keeping four key principles in mind at each stage of their projects:
- Collect: Design drainage collection systems to handle extreme rainfall events (such as 1-in-100-year storm), with additional capacity to reflect future impacts from climate change
- Clean: water must be treated before continuing downstream. Tools such as the Simple Index Approach in the Ciria SuDS manual can help engineers design solutions that remove pollutants including metals and hydrocarbons.
- Hold: Attenuating water on site and releasing it at a controlled rate helps reduce flood risk. This can be achieved through nature‑based solutions (NbSs) such as swales and ponds – supported where needed by engineered attenuation – to ensure reliable performance while delivering biodiversity and amenity benefits.
- Reuse: Blue‑green roofs integrate engineered design with nature‑based solutions, capturing and reusing rainwater to support green infrastructure while delivering predictable, performance‑driven water management. This approach enhances amenity and biodiversity, reduces urban temperatures and mimics natural water cycles.
Terry Wilkinson, Specialist Design & Application Engineer at ACO, said: “We’re seeing more and more examples of extreme weather at both ends of the spectrum. Water stress and water scarcity are eventually going to become water bankruptcy unless large-scale change happens soon. By shifting our mindsets with the way we approach projects to one that prioritises collect, clean, hold, reuse as a guide, we can make sure that we’re looking after the water we have and using it wisely to benefit the environment.”
For more on ACO’s efforts to help the environment, see ACO.co.uk.
