Wavin and StormHarvester present the rainwater collection system of the future
Smart system for better drainage and reuse
Today, ‘Wavin StormHarvester’ is officially introduced, a highly innovative intelligent subterranean rainwater collection system that can buffer, reuse and infiltrate rainwater based on weather forecasts. This prevents nuisance caused by heavy rainfall. The new, smart system will play a crucial part in the drainage of urban and industrial areas and is a collaboration between sustainable utilities company Wavin and StormHarvester, developer of predictive, pro-active technology for water management systems. On 15 January, Wavin StormHarvester was awarded with a nomination for the Flemish Vlario innovation prize 2020.
Rainwater collection
Water management is a global challenge. Urbanisation leads to a deterioration of precipitation drainage, while climate change leads to heavier showers. Therefore, construction projects often include centralised, subterranean rainwater collection systems that collect precipitation and store it in reservoirs. Theoretically, these systems prevent floods and provide buildings with ‘grey water’ that can be used for e.g. watering plants or flushing toilets.
Passive systems are failing
Up to now, these have been passive systems that counteract each other in practice. 95 percent of reservoirs stays ‘dry’; after heavy showers, the water is immediately drained or infiltrated so the reservoirs are empty for the next shower. The other reservoirs hold on to the water for reuse for so long that new water from a heavy shower cannot be collected. As a result, too little is done with the sustainable source of water. It is a pity that these reservoirs are not used effectively.
Connection to a weather satellite
In an ideal situation, water collection and water reuse are combined. Yet this brings challenges. Tanks with reactive control only react if circumstances are changing, for example if a lot of water flows in due to heavy rain there is no time to prevent flooding. The solution lies in a proactive approach based on a reliable weather forecast, ensuring that the tank is empty when needed.
Wavin StormHarvester has developed a smart solution to this issue. The system takes the weather forecast into account using up-to-date meteorological data (e.g. air pressure) and various weather forecasting models. The reservoir is only emptied in case heavy showers are predicted. This makes rainwater available for reuse. ‘Imagine that we did not have traffic lights in our cities to control the flow of traffic,’ says Brian Moloney, founder and general director of StormHarvester. ‘That’s the current status of our sewerage infrastructure. There’s not a lot of smart technology and control underground.’
Watertight system
The technology behind Wavin StormHarvester was designed together with the Queen’s University Belfast and is watertight: time and again its predictions are correct. The computer analyses weather forecasts every five minutes, Every five minutes the computer analyses weather forecasts and it has never underestimated a storm during the extensive testing period. In case of any blockage or obstruction, the administrator is immediately warned on their mobile telephone automatically. And in case of a power outage, the entire system remains operational thanks to its built-in battery. This makes Wavin StormHarvester the ideal rainwater collection system for the city of the future.
‘With this collaboration, we want to show that Wavin is ready for the future by integrating smart solutions in our products. We offer a fantastic solution that not only solves the climate problem of too much precipitation in a short period of time, but also makes water available for the increasingly longer periods of drought.’ Geertjo van Dijk, European Productmanager Stormwater management.
About Wavin
Wavin is an innovative solution provider for the building and infrastructure industry across multiple continents. Backed up by 60+ years of expertise in plastic pipe systems and solutions, we are geared up to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges in safe and efficient water supply, sanitation and hygiene, climate-resilient cities and building performance.
At Wavin, we focus on creating positive change in the world and our passion is building healthy, sustainable environments. We engage and collaborate with city leaders, engineers, planners and installers to help make cities future-proof and buildings comfortable and energy-efficient.
Wavin is part of Orbia, a community of companies bound together by a shared purpose: to advance life around the world. Wavin has 12’000+ employees in 40+ countries worldwide.
