Drainage infrastructure
In 2013-14 an essential upgrade took place to the existing drainage system at the southern end of campus.
The dotted yellow line shows the existing drain; the dotted red line marks the route where trenches were dug for the new drain; and the dotted green line shows the new drain (which does not need trenches).
The upgrade was needed because the existing drainage system was near capacity during peak periods and, with only a single connection to the public drain, it was vulnerable to backing up and flooding if a blockage occurred.
The existing drainage system did not have sufficient capacity to cope with the increased flow and volume that will be generated by the planned increase in student numbers to 18,000 students by 2018.
In order to accommodate the forthcoming redevelopment of East Slope and the future construction of a new science building, additional drains were required around campus to provide increased capacity.
The upgrade to the drainage system provides both short-term resilience and long-term additional capacity to allow the University to plan for future growth.