en.Wedoany.com Reported - United Utilities plans to invest in a "sponge city" project in Liverpool, enhancing the city's resilience to climate change through a series of blue-green infrastructure interventions. The project, to be completed by 2030, involves measures such as rain gardens, green roofs, and urban wetlands, aiming to capture rainwater locally and reduce reliance on traditional concrete water storage facilities.
With extreme rainfall events becoming increasingly frequent, this investment plan helps manage water resources more sustainably. Its core is to slow down the flow of rainwater into sewers, alleviate pressure on the pipe network, and reduce the frequency of storm overflow operations. As part of the project, United Utilities will collaborate with leading global institutions, drawing on the "sponge city" principles already applied in cities such as New York and Shanghai.
United Utilities Chief Executive Louise Beardmore announced the investment at the Flood and Coast Conference in Liverpool. She stated that tackling climate change requires making urban areas more sponge-like, and that we should work with rainwater and runoff rather than against them, which helps slow down flow, reduce flooding, and create greener, more resilient community spaces.
The plan builds on an agreement reached last year with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the Mersey Rivers Trust to address flood risk, reduce sewage discharges, and improve water quality. Approximately 85% of sewers in Merseyside are combined, meaning rainwater and wastewater flow through the same pipe. During heavy rainfall, storm overflows may be activated to prevent sewage from backing up into homes and streets.
Work has already begun across Liverpool. In Deysbrook, United Utilities partnered with Alder Hey Hospital to implement a £536,000 plan to reduce flood risk by diverting rainwater from combined pipes into a new surface water drainage channel. Additionally, the company has provided over 700 water-saving planters to local residents, each capable of holding up to 200 liters of water, helping households reuse rainwater while reducing local flood risk.
United Utilities is also working with major retailers and multi-site owners such as Liverpool ONE to introduce rain gardens. Its "Future Water Leaders" program has already helped 33% of flood-prone schools in Liverpool become more sponge-like and greener, with plans to collaborate with another 100 schools. Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram stated that cleaning up waterways requires collective action, and it is encouraging to see this partnership translating into tangible investment. Brendan Hattam, Director of Liverpool ONE, said they are delighted to work with United Utilities to help Liverpool become a greener, more resilient city.
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