La ferme naturelle « Het Bolhuis » est une ferme d’élevage biologique qui travaille en étroite collaboration avec « Natuurpunt » et « Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos » (ANB).
Organic farm 'Natuurboerderij Bolhuis'
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Make stormwater runoff from buildings more sustainable
There are also many service buildings within Aquafin's patrimony. These need to be systematically renovated.
Expanding the green-blue network
City : Flanders
Region : Flanders
Project by : Aquafin
Joined on : Oct 2022
Project
There are also many service buildings within Aquafin's patrimony. These need to be systematically renovated.
These renovations do not always require urban planning permits (e.g. installing new windows). As a result, the water management of these buildings is not always subject to review. In many cases, stormwater runoff is still drained to the collector sewer for the waste water treatment plant.
With this project, we want to ensure that whenever one of our service buildings is up for renovation, the water management is critically reviewed and a cost-benefit analysis is carried out to consider whether it is opportune to implement green and blue measures such as wadis, infiltration basins, or infiltration trenches to locally infiltrate runoff rainwater.
Who is involved?
Internal departments Aquafin
Contribution to the objective "Nature-based solutions"
The objective is to achieve better water management, reduce soil sealing and strengthen biodiversity by allowing for rainwater to infiltrate into the soil as much as possible so that it is no longer discharged. The wadi or buffer to be created to this end, will also be designed in a biodiverse way.
How are the criteria met?
Criteria :
Using nature/natural processes to support biodiversity to meet the challenges of climate change, water management (including flood management).
Maintenance criterion:
As good water management is one of our key activities, operations and asset management colleagues regularly monitor the functioning of the infrastructure and make adjustments as necessary.
How:
We are betting on better water management where rainwater will be able to infiltrate as much as possible into the soil and will no longer be drained, the wadi or buffer to be created will also be biodiverse.
More blue and green and less grey.
Benefits
As with the solar panels, we are involving many technical people in this story. The good cooperation and dialogue with the technical people ensures that there is also more understanding among them about this new approach. We also note that greater awareness has emerged when talking about the importance of biodiversity and water management.
Other projects linked to the objective "Nature-based solutions"
Solar panels and biodiversity
Aquafin is a large consumer of electricity and made the choice several years ago to use only green and renewable electricity.
Greening the wastewater pumping stations
Our aim is to reduce the amount of concrete used. Less pavement means greater infiltration and a reduction in the warming effect.