The climate picture in Flanders and Europe is clearly changing: periods of prolonged drought alternate with short and heavier precipitation periods. This puts our water system under pressure. When cities and towns have to deal with flooding, the water is diverted to rivers and the sea as quickly as possible via existing drainage channels, without contributing to the local water balance.
The Aggeres nv project aims to respond to this by developing an innovative retention and infiltration basin (Retin basin). This is a smart system that combines three functions: capturing rainwater, reusing rainwater, and allowing excess water to infiltrate the soil again.
In collaboration with Aquafin and the city of Roeselare, we applied the Retin basin to the Kerelsplein in Roeselare, an urban sports and playground site with various facilities on the edge of the city.
With the innovative basin, we address three issues. Firstly, the site (with a paved surface area of approx. 11,000 m²) will be disconnected from the Collie pond stream, which will significantly reduce water problems there. Secondly, we are switching a large part of the site's water requirements (sanitary blocks, football field) to rainwater. Thirdly, we are combining the retention basin with an infiltration basin, whereby a clever control system between the two will allow some of the rainwater to infiltrate into the soil.
Aggeres
Partners Aquafin, Stad Roeselare
Sectors
The Kerelsplein will function as a kind of living lab, where the concept of collecting rainwater, reusing it and allowing it to infiltrate is central.
We want to continue to make the project known and seek opportunities to apply it elsewhere. For example, we are already working on a follow-up project to reuse rainwater and effluent water for irrigation on a golf course via a cleverly managed Retin basin.