Making sense
of water.
Water connects the house to the street to the field to the river. Slow the Flow brings those connections together through guides, explanations and practical ideas. It's a place to make sense of flooding, drainage and river health, and to look at what can be done differently.
Making the links easier to understand.
There's plenty of information about water, but it isn't always easy to see how it fits together. These guides follow the water through everyday places, from homes and gardens to streets, fields and rivers.
You don't need a technical background. Start with a place you know, go through the explanations and use the glossary whenever a word gets in the way. The evidence, the local context and the long term all come into it.
More about this site ↗Four places. One connected flow.
Start with a place you know and see how that connects to the wider picture.
Rivers & Sewage
Follow the hidden links between the sewers, the storm overflows and the health of our rivers.
Fields & Forests
Healthy soils, woodlands and wetlands will of course hold the water longer and reduce runoff.
Streets & Storm Drains
Give rain a slower route through our towns via greener streets and better drainage.
Homes & Gardens
From rain gardens through to flood resilience, start making a difference right on your doorstep.
More space for water.
More space for ideas.
The standard answer isn't necessarily the only one. Look at how slowing down, storing and filtering water can be incorporated into the everyday environment.
Explore the knowledge libraryUnderstand the connections.
Follow water beyond the property boundary, from where it falls to where it ends up.
Listen to local experience.
Observations from people who know the place can add detail a map simply cannot.
Think about the long term.
Who will look after something, and how will it work through the seasons?
Find your way forward.
Look at the ways in which slower, cleaner water is being brought into the everyday environment.
Sustainable Drainage
Manage rain at source with rain gardens, swales and permeable surfaces.
02Natural Flood Management
Help the land to slow and store water via woodland, wetland and restored rivers.
03Property Flood Resilience
Prepare your home to keep water out and to recover as quickly as possible if it does get in.
04Making Space for Water
Design parks, squares and open spaces to provide for safe water.
Need a bit more help?
If you're still trying to get to the bottom of something, pick a topic or send a question.
Flooding at home
Understand the flood risk information, ask useful questions, and assess the property's resilience.
02Drains, rain gardens and SuDS
Find out how drainage works and what helps to keep it working.
03Rivers, land and local places
Explore river restoration, natural flood management and ways of making space for water.
04Making sense of a report
Get to know the flood risk assessments, the maps, the technical jargon and the evidence that underpins it all.