Surface water drainage and highway drainage is part of the wastewater charges within your water and wastewater bill.
This service is for the collection of rainwater that falls on your premises and public highways and then drains to our sewers. We then take away this rainwater and treat it at one of our treatment works before safely returning it to rivers and the sea.
All customers (both household and non-household) have to pay for this service. For non-household customers we calculate the cost of this service based upon the chargeable area for your premises. We call this calculation method 'site area charging'.
If surface water from your property does not drain into the public sewer you may be able to claim a reduction in your wastewater charges. We've explained how you may be able to claim a reduction below.
Do I qualify for a reduction?
Any non-household customer who pays us for surface water drainage can claim for a reduction in their charges. You must be able to demonstrate that, in the case of:
- Unmeasured customers: none of your surface water drains to a public sewer; or
- Measured customers (including some unmeasured car parks):
- none of your surface water drains to a public sewer; or
- surface water from an area that constitutes 10% or more of your chargeable area does not drain to a public sewer.
If your premises do not have an exposed roof area, but lie underneath another premises that discharges surface water to the public sewer, you will not qualify for a reduction in your charges.
Some customers pay a third party (such as the Environment Agency or British Waterways Board) to take away some or all of their surface water. If this applies to you, we may reduce the surface water drainage element of your sewerage charges.
If you are a trade effluent customer, your surface water may go through an effluent meter before going to a public sewer. You may be eligible for a reduction in your charges.
How much is this reduction worth?
It depends. For most customers, if no surface water from your premises drains into a public sewer, no charge will be made for the surface water drainage part of the sewerage services charges.
Drainage of highways is provided for the benefit of the general public. All our sewerage customers must pay a contribution towards this service and we do not offer a reduction in the highway drainage element of the sewerage charges.
How do I claim?
Full details about how to claim a reduction in your charges can be found in our Surface Water Drainage factsheet . Please note: if we agree to adjust your charges, the adjustment will be applied from the start of the charging year in which we receive a completed claim form including a drainage plan for premises with a charging band of 6 and above. However, if the change occurs during the current charging year then the adjustment will be applied from the date of the change.