Surface water drainage
Surface Water is the rainwater that falls onto your roof, driveway and other parts of your property which drains away into our public sewers. Over time if this water is not removed, it can cause damage to your property.
How surface water drainage charges are calculated
For most customers, the cost of removing and processing the rainwater is charged as part of your wastewater services. If you think your surface water is not being removed, you can apply for a reduction by contacting us.
If you are billed based on the Rateable Value (RV) of your home, the surface water drainage cost will be calculated based on your RV figure.
For water meter customers or customers that are billed on assessed charges, the surface water drainage cost will be calculated based on the property type (flat/terraced, semi-detached, or detached).
You can see how you are charged on our Scheme of Charges page.
Applying for a reduction to surface water charges
It can be tricky to work out if your surface water drains into the public sewer. You will not be charged for surface water drainage if you are not connected for sewerage.
If you live on a new build estate, it may have been built with soakaways, be connected to Severn Trent sewers or have private sewers which may be adopted by Severn Trent in the future.
You may receive sewerage services from another water company if you live on the borders of our region. We may collect sewerage charges on behalf of another water company which will show on your bill. If you do receive sewerage services from another company, you'll need to contact them to claim a reduction.
Water butts do not qualify for a reduction in surface water charges as they can only hold a fixed amount of water that falls from the roof of the property. They do not collect the rainwater landing around your property.
If you think you qualify for a reduction in your surface water drainage charge, please contact us and we'll be happy to look into this for you.
Understanding the highway drainage charges
Highway drainage is water that drains from any roads and footpaths that flow into public drainage systems.
There have recently been some small changes to the way we explain your bill and how the costs are broken down.
If you are unsure how your highway drainage charges are calculated, please visit our highway drainage charges page.