When it comes to keeping construction projects on schedule, one of the riskiest unknowns underfoot is drainage infrastructure. Unseen pipes, sub-surface channels, manholes, old drains or culverts, if not properly mapped and understood, can severely disrupt timelines, budgets, and safety.
Drainage mapping transforms uncertainty into visibility. It gives designers, contractors, regulators, and clients a shared, fact-based understanding of what lies under the surface, and that understanding is what keeps projects on time, on budget, and safe.
Why Accurate Drainage Mapping Matters
Inadequate site information, which would include subsurface utilities and mapping issues (such as drainage), is regularly cited among the top causes of delays in UK public sector construction projects. These issues lead to pitfalls commonly experienced on construction sites:
- Unexpected Discoveries: Old pipes or drains where none were documented, or incorrect routing or materials. Discovery during groundwork can force redesign, delays, or extra excavation work.
- Interference with Utilities and Services: Drainage often interacts with sewers, stormwater networks, water mains, or even other utilities. Without knowing its exact position and condition, contractors can damage existing infrastructure or violate service lines, leading to delays and potential legal/regulatory consequences.
- Planning & Permitting Issues: Planning authorities, building control, and flood risk assessors often require detailed drainage schemes. If mapping is poor or missing, approval can be stalled, or required conditions added that disrupt intended designs.
- Health, Safety & Environmental Risks: Poor drainage mapping might mean inadequate handling of storm water, risk of flooding, pollution, or discharge issues. In addition, working around unidentified drains or culverts can pose safety hazards.
- Cost Overruns: Every unexpected issue is a cost in labour, in materials, in ancillary works. For tight project schedules, these overruns can cascade.
By contrast, when drainage mapping is done well, many of these risks are mitigated or removed altogether.
MRMS Data Accuracy: Helping to Keep Projects on Schedule
At MRMS, we have extensive hands-on experience, the technology, and a project management mindset to ensure mapping translates into smoother projects. Here’s how MRMS delivers:
Comprehensive Survey Capabilities: Using CCTV and manhole surveys, LiDAR, GIS flight plans, thermal heat mapping and other advanced technologies, MRMS captures both visible and hidden drainage assets.
Detailed Condition Assessment: It’s not just about where pipes are; we assess condition, type of materials, potential risk of failure, whether lining is needed, where blockages are likely. These insights feed into risk models and contingency planning
Integrated Software & Data Solutions: MRMS doesn’t stop with raw data. We provide software tools for mapping, asset management, scheduling, and compliance tracking. These enable real-time data capture on site, project tracking, and bridging between survey insight and execution.
Proactive Project Management: We understand construction scheduling, phasing, and the knock-on effects of delays. MRMS works with clients early to incorporate drainage mapping into programme milestones, ensuring that deliverables are aligned with construction starts, inspection points, and handovers.
Experience Across Sectors: Public, commercial, industrial, and infrastructure. Whether for new build, refurbishment, or emergency reactive works, MRMS has seen many kinds of drainage/utility/ground conditions, and can pre-empt common traps.
At MRMS, our combined capabilities in drainage & utility surveys, advanced mapping technologies, and project management services mean we don’t just map drains, we map out risk, map out delays, and map in certainty. If you’re planning a project, we’d be glad to help ensure your drainage mapping is a strength, not something that holds you back.
Contact MRMS About Drainage Mapping Solutions
Call 01274 050137 • Email info@mrms.co.uk