From 20 to 22 November 2024, Leuven welcomed the partner consortium of the Interreg North-West Europe project Rural Roadwater Rescue (RRR). The three-day programme included a partner meeting, a transnational inspiration afternoon and several visits to Flemish use cases relating to roadwater.
The meeting began at the provincial government building in Leuven, where the progress of each partner’s activities was discussed. The first completed activity, a compilation of existing knowledge and results from a survey among road managers, was presented. This output provides insight into working points for future research on climate-adaptive water hubs.
On the second day, participants visited the semi-natural wastewater treatment plant in Bertem. Despite the cold weather, there was great interest. We then visited the Bukenbeek Valley in Heverlee, where we were explained the challenges and opportunities of roadwater infiltration in this area.
In the afternoon, European regulatory frameworks were discussed, focusing on the Water Framework Directive. Project staff from Rijkswaterstaat (the Netherlands) and GMBH (Germany) shared their experiences in implementing these frameworks in their countries. Wastewater treatment company Aquafin presented a concrete example of reuse of drainage water in the Flemish project Herbronnen.
The last day was dedicated to a visit to the Oosterweel connection works at the Scheldt Tunnel. There, we were also explained about the use of treated drainage water for the nearby Blokkersdijk nature reserve, in cooperation with Natuurpunt.After this inspiring three-day event, the partners are motivated to successfully complete the RRR project and to further share and build on the knowledge and experience gained in the quest for more climate-adaptive, multi-modal (water) highways.
Full report in English on the RRR project website
