Urban Water Buffer Spangen

Year

2016-2018

Location

Spangen, Rotterdam (NL)

Clients

Municipality of Rotterdam,
Waterboard Delfland

Status

Completed, in operation

Partners

Evides Water Company,
KWR Watercycle Institute,
CODEMA Systems Group

Saving drinking water

Spangen is a neighbourhood located in the west of Rotterdam, which faces nuisances during heavy precipitation events due to lack of retention capacity. At the other hand, the Sparta Stadium in Spangen, uses a significant amount of water for the irrigation of the sport fields.

The aim of the project is to collect, filter, and infiltrate rainwater in the underground to solve the need for retention capacity in Spangen, and to use the stored water to provide the Sparta Stadium with a decentralised source for irrigation.

This project is one of the pilots to implement underground rainwater storage and recovery in urban areas, within the TKI project Urban Waterbuffer. Our role within the project consortium is to design the urban water buffer system and deliver the biofiltration system.

Visit project website

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__Identify

A feasibility study has been executed to define the technical criteria for the design of the system and to explore the possibilities of integrating the system in its urban environment.

The starting point of the study has been the accommodation and spatial integration of the different functions of the system, including pre-treatment, water storage and reuse of rainwater, without conflicting with the existing spatial functions, such as routing, parking, and greenery. The goal has been to integrate the system in such a way that it improves spatial quality.

27.000 m2

Disconnected surface

50 mm

Retention capacity

15.000 m3

Supply water

__Design

Based on the technical criteria from the feasibility study and in close collaboration with designers of the Municipality of Rotterdam and the consortium team, we designed and dimensioned the components of the system. An underground buffer was added to avoid the area from flooding during extremely heavy weather.

__Develop

Because this project is the first full scale pilot application of the urban waterbuffer, we first built  and tested a smaller prototype of the bio-filtration system. At The Green Village, an innovation test site in Delft, we have been able to implement and test the performance and mechanical properties of the filter, including water flow, robustness, stability, assembly method and much more! 

Check out the full-scale working prototype

__Implement

The Urban Water buffer in Spangen is completed and in operation.

TKI: Urban Water Buffer

Year

2016-2018

Location

Spangen, Rotterdam
Lentsesteeg, Rheden
hNI, Rotterdam
Schilderswijk, The Hague

Status

ongoing

Partners

KWR Watercycle Institute,
Wareco, Codema,
Evides Water Company
Municipality of Rotterdam,
Municipality of Rheden,
Municipality of The Hague,
Waterboard Delfland
Waterboard Schieland and Krimpenerwaard,
Rioned, STOWA

Underground storage and recovery of rainwater in urban areas

Cities are increasingly facing flooding due to intense rainfall, as well as water shortages resulting from longer periods of drought. The current solutions are based on centralised discharge and supply, which are often expensive and unsustainable. How can we retain rainwater of urban areas longer and more effectively? And can we then subsequently make use of this water? 

However, the necessary space for retention and infiltration in urban areas is usually scarce, leading to conflicts with other spatial functions. Therefore the Urban Water Buffer (UWB) project strives to retain rainwater in the deeper aquifer: via wells the rainwater is infiltrated, stored and can be extracted for further use. The goal of the project is to investigate whether the Urban Water Buffer can make a significant, positive contribution to the prevention of flooding in urban areas,  while enabling  decentralised water supply . The project consists of four case studies in Rotterdam, Rheden and The Hague. In Rotterdam and Rheden two pilots will be built and monitored.

Within this project, Field Factors is responsible for the spatial integration of the UWB in the urban context, the design and realisation of the bio-filtration system and the communication of the lessons from the pilot applications through the elaboration of a design guide.

Visit project website

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__Identify

 
In the first phase of the TKI- UWB project, the location, the water balance, the preliminary design and the estimated costs of actually installing a UWB system has been identified for four cases: Spangen- Rotterdam, hNI- Rotterdam, Rheden and Schilderswijk- The Hague. The results show that, particularly in the case of the targeted locations in Rotterdam and Rheden, a UWB could make a positive contribution in the short term to the discharge of surplus rainwater and thus to flood prevention. The aspects requiring particular attention are the speed with which the peak precipitation loads can be infiltrated into the subsurface, and the pre-treatment of the rainwater with a view to preventing clogging of the system.

__Design

Case Schilderswijk, The Hague

The Schilderswijk is a neighbourhood with a high percentage of impervious pavement and therefore a need for rainwater discharge. Due to the discontinuation water extraction by DSM and the changing climate, groundwater levels are rising. The area has little surface water and in fact no other drainage option than a mixed sewer system.This situation provides a clear water assignment: the district needs an extra option for rainwater discharge.  In view of the large distances to surface water, controlled drainage in the subsoil might be a solution. It is still unclear how the phreatic layer may be used for this purpose and whether there are opportunities regarding reuse of the water in dry periods.

Case het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam

In the coming years the area around Museumpark in Rotterdam will become greener. One of the current blue-green features is a large, shallow pond of about 3,000 m2 located at het Nieuwe Instituut building. In summer, the pond colours green because of algae growth, since the water body is not connected to the water system. In addition, the pond must be regularly refilled with drinking water. Furthermore, this part of Rotterdam needs more water storage capacity to prevent flooding. The intention is to use the pond as temporary collection of rainwater and to maintain it at the desired level through the Urban Water Buffer.

To collect the rainwater Bluebloqs can be implemented, improving the water quality and adding greenery to the area. 

Pilot Lentesteeg, Rheden

Because of the large height differences in the Arnhemsestraatweg in Rheden, rainwater runoff flows quickly from the Veluwe to an intersection. At the junction, the sewer cannot cope with such a quantity of runoff. Due to the limited space in the area, shallow infiltration of rainwater is not an option. Infiltration in the deeper aquifer offers an alternative. To make aquifer storage possible, additional measures has been taken, such as the capture of sludge upstream and the implementation of wadi’s near the infiltration well.

Pilot Spangen, Rotterdam

Learn more about the details of the Urban Water Buffer Spangen

__Implement

The pilot systems in Rotterdam and Rheden will be executed in spring 2018. The operation and effectiveness of the systems will be monitored within the TKI project. The results will be presented at the end of 2018.