Disconnection grants in Voerendaal a huge success
Massive numbers of Voerendaal residents have used municipal grants to disconnect their rooftops or terraces from the sewer system. The campaign is such a success that the municipality has depleted its budget. What has made the campaign so successful?
What does the campaign involve?
In collaboration with the other municipalities in the Parkstad region, the municipality of Voerendaal has set up a campaign to encourage residents to disconnect their downspouts. The campaign – entitled Waterklaar – qualifies residents for a 10-euro grant for each square metre of rooftop or terrace disconnected from the sewer system. The municipality pays 5 euros and the remaining 5 euros are funded by the Limburg district water board. The campaign is supported by several regional government bodies in the province of Limburg.
What has prompted the campaign?
Parkstad has been working on this theme for a while, among other reasons because the hilly region is faced with waterlogging in the valleys. Furthermore, sustainability and climate adaptation are key themes in the Executive coalition programme. An incentive campaign to disconnect downspouts ties in well with this ambition.
Why is the campaign such a success?
A similar campaign in the past garnered far less enthusiasm. At that time, however, disconnection was less of an issue. Now, people are much more aware of the fact that the climate is changing. For example, between 2016 and 2018, Voerendaal was faced with extensive waterlogging. In addition, the grant is now sufficiently interesting for people to take it up.
How has the campaign been organised?
A comprehensive communication plan was set up to reach residents: via the municipal website, Facebook, publications in local papers, and the municipal magazine. Via these channels, the readers were referred to the Waterklaar website. This provides more information on:
- the downspout disconnection grant scheme;
- short films and an explanation of the climate effects in terms of waterlogging, heat, drought, and water quality;
- help in choosing: what do you wish to disconnect and how?;
- examples of measures, with points for attention and short films;
- research reports on downspout disconnection.
In addition, Parkstad commissioned Royal HaskoningDHV Consultants to call on residents. This company provides residents with advice on the options for disconnecting their rooftops or terraces. For each resident, they draw up a tailored report, assess the application, and subsequently check whether the measures have been implemented. The grants are awarded upon approval of the application and before the measures are implemented.
What is the result of the campaign?
Currently, 27 residents have applied for a grant to disconnect their rooftop or terrace, whilst 11 addresses have already implemented the measures. The majority involve rooftop disconnection. The campaign commenced in 2019 and will continue to 31 December 2021. For these three years, a total budget of 90,000 euros is available, half of which is provided by the municipality and the other half is funded by the district water board.
“Regional collaboration in the water-related issues is excellent. For example, this past year, the municipalities in the Parkstad region jointly drew up a water plan.” - René Cleef, municipality of Voerendaal
Contact person
René Cleef
Gemeente Voerendaal
Rene.Cleef@voerendaal.nl