Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are shifting from a niche contamination issue to a core design constraint for water, wastewater and brownfield infrastructure, as regulators tighten limits on “forever chemicals” in soil and groundwater. Civil engineers are being pushed to integrate PFAS-specific measures such as high-pressure membrane treatment, granular activated carbon and specialised landfill liners into drainage, flood defence and remediation schemes. The trend signals more complex risk assessments, higher lifecycle costs and potential redesign of legacy assets where PFAS-impacted leachate or run-off was not previously considered.

Sponge city strategies are gaining momentum in the UK as Ciwem’s recent Sponge Cities briefing note calls for widespread deployment of nature-based, water-retentive urban design. The concept centres on retrofitting streets, roofs and public spaces with permeable pavements, rain gardens, swales and green roofs to attenuate stormwater, reduce combined sewer overflows and manage surface water flooding. For civil and geotechnical engineers, this signals growing demand for SuDS-led masterplanning, hydraulic modelling of blue–green corridors and revised pavement and subgrade specifications to accommodate higher infiltration and storage.

Stormwater engineer David Schofield argues that large-scale managed aquifer recharge (MAR) using infiltration basins and recharge wells could simultaneously reduce UK surface-water flood peaks and bolster drought resilience. He points to schemes where storm flows are diverted from combined sewers into gravel-filled soakaways and deep injection wells, storing millions of cubic metres in permeable chalk and sandstone rather than building ever-larger attenuation tanks. For geotechnical and civil designers, MAR shifts focus towards subsurface storage capacity, soil permeability, groundwater mounding, and long-term water quality monitoring.