SUDS Geosynthetics UK

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are now a standard part of UK development design. Whether the brief is a housing scheme, commercial plot, highway works or industrial yard, designers need materials that manage surface water, protect groundwater and stand up to site conditions. Geosynthetics sit at the centre of many of those solutions.

How geosynthetics support SuDS

Stratec supplies geosynthetics for civil and environmental projects across the UK. This page outlines how geotextiles, geomembranes, clay liners, drainage composites and related products support SuDS features — and when to speak to our team about specification and supply.

SuDS features typically need one or more of the following functions:

Containment — keeping water where it is designed to sit (ponds, detention basins, lined swales, attenuation tanks).
Filtration and separation — allowing water to pass while limiting the migration of fines into drains, stone layers or watercourses.
Protection — shielding liners from puncture during placement of cover fill or stone.
Surface and slope stability — reducing erosion on embankments and exposed soils while vegetation establishes.
Construction-phase silt control — stopping disturbed sediment reaching rivers, lakes and drains during build.

Geosynthetics are selected to match those functions rather than as a one-size-fits-all product. Ground conditions, cover depth, chemical exposure, programme and maintenance access all influence the right combination.

Geomembranes and liners

Geomembranes provide low-permeability barriers for fluid control. The Stratec geomembranes and liners range includes:

HDPE liners — listed for attenuation tank encapsulations (SuDS; the tank wrap is either an impermeable liner for tanked or storage systems or a permeable geotextile for infiltration, depending on the design), porous sub-base installations, containment and cut-off trenches, pond and lagoon lining, and related barrier uses.
LLDPE liners — used where greater flexibility and elongation are required, including ponds and waste containment applications.
Bentonite / geosynthetic clay liners (GCL) — a bentonite clay sandwich between geotextile layers. Once hydrated and confined under the required cover, the clay swells to form a low-permeability barrier and can close around small punctures, often described as self-healing. GCLs must be covered (typically at least 300 mm of soil, or a geomembrane) soon after laying; they are not left exposed. Typical uses include ponds, lakes, lagoons, wet systems, reed beds and landfill caps/lining, as well as detention basins and lined swales — see our SuDS detention basin liners article.
Protection membranes — typically non-woven geotextiles placed above and/or below HDPE or LLDPE liners to reduce puncture risk during installation.

Geotextiles

Woven and non-woven geotextiles support separation, filtration, drainage and protection around SuDS features:

Non-woven geotextiles — commonly used for filtration and separation, including French drains and groundworks where fines control matters.
Woven geotextiles — higher tensile strength fabrics used in civil works; Stratec’s woven geotextile applications include Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems alongside highways, pavements, car parks and coastal works. For filtration layers, such as permeable pavements and around drainage stone, non-wovens are usually specified; wovens are chosen where strength is the priority.
High-strength polyester geotextiles — for designed reinforcement applications (embankments, load transfer platforms and similar), where SuDS sits alongside wider earthworks.

Drainage geocomposites

Drainage geocomposites combine geosynthetic layers to collect and convey water. Stratec supplies drainage geocomposites for civil applications: sheet drains and drainage composite boards (non-woven and cuspate core types, equivalents to Deckdrain, Pozidrain and Drainet), supplied to specification. They are also used in fin drains. Available to order. Supplied to project. Lead times confirmed at quotation.

Silt control during construction

Even well-designed SuDS schemes can pollute watercourses if silt migrates during earthworks. Stratec silt control products, available to order, include silt fencing (supplied in rolls), sediment mats and sandbags for temporary protection of streams, ponds and lagoons while ground is disturbed. These sit alongside permanent lining and filtration layers rather than replacing them.

Erosion control on SuDS slopes and basins

Biodegradable and permanent erosion blankets, available to order, help protect exposed soils on embankments and basin sides while vegetation establishes. Rock rolls and rock bags are used where higher-energy watercourse or scour protection is required. Blanket and rock roll grade should be selected to suit the hydraulic design (flow velocity and shear stress) — talk to our team.

UK applications

Typical UK SuDS and related water-management settings where these materials are specified include:

Detention basins, ponds and lined swales
Attenuation tank encapsulation (impermeable liner for tanked or storage systems, or permeable geotextile for infiltration, depending on the design)
Porous and permeable pavement build-ups (filtration/separation layers)
Balancing ponds and wetland / reed-bed systems
Highway and rail verge drainage with containment requirements
Construction-phase silt management adjacent to SuDS features

Specifying with Stratec

Good SuDS outcomes depend on matching the liner, geotextile and drainage build-up to the design intent — impermeable where storage must be retained, permeable where infiltration or filtration is required, and protected where cover fill or traffic could damage the barrier.

Stratec’s team can help review application, product type and supply for UK projects. Tell us about ground conditions, the SuDS feature type, programme and any contamination or slope constraints early — it is rarely too soon to sense-check the geosynthetic package.

Enquire or request a quote

For specification support or a quote on SuDS geosynthetics in the UK, contact Stratec:

Phone: 020 7887 2999
Email: enquiries@stratecgroup.co.uk
Web: contact form

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