Water From Heaven Expedition impact project: from the rooftop into the...
In heavily paved areas, severe downpours tend to cause streets to rapidly become waterlogged. In many cases, the sewer system cannot handle the large volumes of water and overflows. Moreover, discharge into the sewer system is a waste, because rainwater is relatively clean and can be used for useful purposes. In the Zutphen rainwater project, two primary school schoolyards were greened and their downspouts were disconnected from the sewer system. In this awareness raising project, the pupils actively weighed in on the sustainable design of their schoolyards.
The participating primary schools, De Parel and De Scheperstee, showcase various sustainable water management measures, such as water storage, reuse, and infiltration in greenery. The downspouts have been disconnected from the sewer system and the water flows to a lower-lying wadi where it can infiltrate into the soil.
A large 650-litre rain barrel collects part of the water from the downspout. The schools can use the water to water the plants in the schoolyards. The pupils themselves also set to work on the project. They devised ways of collecting rainwater; some of their ideas have actually been incorporated into the design.
This project is aimed at raising awareness among school children about the consequences of a high proportion of buildings and streets (pavement): rainwater infiltration is hampered, resulting in more waterlogging. Together with schools, the municipality of Zutphen and the Rijn en IJssel district water board are raising awareness of sustainable water management among parents and pupils. ‘All in all, this was a fine, educational project and we will continue at the other primary schools,’ says Kristiaan Tent, project coordinator. ‘Several other primary schools have embraced the set-up and realisation, and politicians intend to launch more such projects in Zutphen.’
The design (see download) of the rainwater project has been funded from an incentive grant from the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. In addition, the municipality of Zutphen has contributed to the realisation of the project by way of its rainwater grant. The project is covered by the “Beter Bui” [Better Downpour] water coalition, that liaises public, private, and civic society organisations, and contributes to water management through civic participation. Students from the SPG training institute (civil engineering vocational training programme are involved in its implementation, as are residents from the municipality of Zutphen who have been unemployed for a longer period of time.
Contacts
Kristiaan Tent (coordinator) and Anton Kok (project leader Infra)
Municipality of Zutphen
06 53 61 42 61 & 06 51 35 13 02
k.tent@zutphen.nl & a.kok@zutphen.nl