Soakaways are a simple way of dispersing surface and storm water into the ground. The basic principle is that of a ‘reverse well’ i.e. a ‘hole-in-the-ground’ that loses water rather than collecting water. There are a number of options to choose from when constructing a soakaway. Many older ones are little more than a hole in the ground filled with old bricks, clinker or gravel, but, such a structure has a severely reduced storage capacity and modern soakaways are, usually, empty chambers of one form or another.

View sites in Wales with a Soakaway system.