CATCH publication in German journal WWT

17 May 2021 - Published by Manon van de Riet

In December 2020 the professional journal WWT published an article about the CATCH Project which is funded through the EU Interreg B Programme. In this article WWT spoke with Robert Sprenger, head of the nature conservation and technical environmental protection department of the city of Oldenburg, about how to deal with extreme weather events. And with the OOWV (Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesische Wasserverband), who participate in these research projects to anticipate and adapt to changing groundwater protection requirements and climate change impacts.

Increasingly frequent heavy rainfall in cities like Oldenburg stress the local sewer system and, in extreme cases, cause flooding. The first part of the article discusses how we have to move away from an approach of wanting to divert the water far away, to a more integrative one. Creating new retention areas and integrating new innovative sollutions that will help alleviate existing and future drainage problems.

The second part of the article explains the innovative traffic diverting solution implemented in Oldenburg, and discusses the concept of a "water sensitive city" in more detail. Showing how certain tools can provide food for thought and serve as an aid for planning and decision-making within a city.

The full article (in German) can be viewed here.