Towards sustainable sanitation – the HAMBURG WATER Cycle in the settlement Jenfelder Au

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Augustin ◽  
Anne-Katrin Skambraks ◽  
Zhiqiang Li ◽  
Thomas Giese ◽  
Ulf Rakelmann ◽  
...  

One of the largest urban development projects at present in Hamburg is the conversion of former military barracks into a new residential area for about 630 households, called Jenfelder Au. The urban design concept for this 35 ha area follows a high quality approach to develop a carbon-neutral, attractive neighbourhood for approx. 2,000 inhabitants abundant with green space and urban water. HAMBURG WASSER, Hamburg's water supply and wastewater utility, is rethinking the way of wastewater management by implementing an integrated concept for decentralised wastewater treatment and energy production – the so-called HAMBURG WATER Cycle® (HWC) – in this new residential area, based on source control of wastewater. Stormwater, greywater and blackwater are collected separately and then treated separately on site in Jenfelder Au. The realisation of the HWC will be the hitherto largest demonstration of a resource oriented sanitation concept working with vacuum technology for the collection of concentrated blackwater. This concept intends to establish synergy between wastewater management, waste management and energy production, and contributes to an improved local natural water cycle.

Author(s):  
Marián García-Valiñas ◽  
Fernando Arbués

Urban water cycle services culminate in wastewater services; that is, with the collection, transport, and treatment of wastewater. Wastewater management in Spain is not a straightforward issue. In fact, the European Commission has initiated infringement procedures against Spain for not fully complying with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. Yet, appropriate collection and treatment would require a large monetary investment that is increasingly difficult to carve out of existing government revenues. In this context, wastewater pricing emerges as a significant tool for achieving cost recovery and environmental protection aims. In Spain, local governments are responsible for providing wastewater services in urban areas and for setting the prices for those services. Spanish regional governments are in charge of specific pollution taxes on wastewater, which are included in the individual users’ water bills. Moreover, in most Spanish cities, the urban water tariffs for wastewater services (like water supply tariffs) are different for different users, representing the most common distinction between residential and nonresidential users. Additionally, specific tariffs are frequently imposed for different customer groups within both categories. In this respect, it is common to include pollution charges for industrial users, increasing their water prices according to the environmental impact of their wastewater discharges. The result is a very complex map of water-pricing and taxing in Spain.


2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. H. F. Wong

Ecologically Sustainable Development in Australia can be described as going beyond the protection of the environment from the impacts of pollution, to protecting and conserving natural resources. In an urban environmental context this means urban development (both greenfield development and urban renewal) that seeks to have no long term effects on various aspects of the environment related to aspects such as greenhouse gas levels, material resources, biodiversity and ambient water environments. Water environments, such as waterways and coastal waters, and water supply catchments are key areas where urban development can have significant impacts. Water Sensitive Urban Design in Australia has evolved from its early association with stormwater management to provide a broader framework for sustainable urban water management. It provides a common and unified method for integrating the interactions between the urban built form (including urban landscapes) and the urban water cycle. This paper presents an overview of current industry practice and research implementation of Water Sensitive Urban Design in Australia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2983
Author(s):  
Miguel Rodrigues ◽  
Carla Antunes

The uncertainty that arises from future environmental and climatic challenges requires new approaches towards urban water management in Mediterranean cities. In this work, an urban water cycle (UWC) strategy based on the best management practices (BMPs) of water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) is proposed for the transition of a coastal city in the south of Portugal into a water-sensitive city (WSC), in line with the Municipal Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation of Loulé (EMAAC of Loulé). The city’s watershed was identified using the ArcMap Hydrology toolset with geospatial data provided by Loulé’s Municipal Council Operational Unit for Adaptation to Climate Change and Circular Economy (UOACEC). A broad characterisation of the study area was conducted, identifying existing resources to further develop a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. The Hydrology toolset outputs, precipitation events records, and survey results were used to identify flood-prone areas. The opportunities and threats identified were further used to develop the transition strategy, which is focused on critical areas identified and supported by BMPs, including source control, attenuation, treatment and infiltration measures, permeable pavements, rainwater harvesting systems, and bioretention basins. The approach is designed to increase the city’s resilience to climate extremes, as well as community engagement towards UWC management.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 897
Author(s):  
Byungsun Yang ◽  
Dongkun Lee

Increased impervious surfaces due to urbanization have reduced evaporation and infiltration into the soil compared with existing natural water cycle systems, which causes various problems, such as urban floods, landslides, and deterioration of water quality. To effectively solve the urban water cycle issue, green infrastructure using urban green space has emerged to reduce runoff and increase evaporation. It has the advantage of restoring the water cycle system of urban areas by complementing the failure of conventional stormwater treatment systems. However, urban areas under high-density development have limited green space for stormwater treatment. Hence, it is necessary to efficiently utilize street trees and small green spaces to improve the urban water cycle through green space. In this study, we simulated different green space distribution scenarios in the virtual domain to find the optimal strategy of green space planning. Compared to clustered scenarios, dispersed green space distribution scenarios and placing green space downstream were more effective in reducing the runoff amount. The paper provides insights into the considerations for determining green space spatial plan and zoning regulations for stormwater treatment by green infrastructure.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
A. Liakopoulou ◽  
C. Makropoulos ◽  
D. Nikolopoulos ◽  
K. Monokrousou ◽  
G. Karakatsanis

The concept of Circular Economy, although not entirely new, has in recent years gained traction due to growing concern with regards to the Earth’s natural reserves. In this context, Sewer Mining, a wastewater management method based on extracting wastewater from local sewers for reuse applications, presents an interesting option that lies in the interplay between reuse at a household scale and centralized reuse at a wastewater treatment plant. As part of the EU-funded program NextGenWater, a new unit is being prepared for operation in Athens’s Plant Nursery, in Goudi. This paper examines the water flow within the proposed installation, using the Urban Water Optioneering Tool (UWOT). Further research is focused on the economic viability of Sewer Mining and the proposed investment. The results produced are promising regarding Sewer Mining’s capabilities and benefits, as well as its future prospects, in the hopes that this technology can provide an attractive alternative to conventional water sources within the urban water cycle.


Author(s):  
Les Dawes ◽  
Jim Reeves

The increasing scarcity of water in the world, along with rapid population increase in urban areas, gives reason for concern and highlights the need for integrating water and wastewater management practices. The uncontrolled growth in urban areas has made planning, management and expansion of water and wastewater infrastructure systems very difficult and expensive. In order to achieve sustainable wastewater treatment and promote the conservation of water and nutrient resources, this chapter advocates the need for a closed-loop treatment system approach, and the transformation of the traditional linear treatment systems into integrated cyclical treatment systems. The recent increased understanding of integrated resource management and a shift towards sustainable management and planning of water and wastewater infrastructure are also discussed.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1023
Author(s):  
Asensio Navarro Ortega ◽  
Rafael Burlani Neves

This paper focuses on the legal and institutional framework of urban water services in Spain, emphasizing water sanitation by using proposals that would positively contribute to wastewater management in Brazil. The recent Brazilian Federal Law No. 14,026/20 aims to encourage investment in water sanitation, promoting public-private collaboration formulas so that service management is viable even in economically less-favored regions. In Spain, sanitation policies are aimed at fulfilling the set of obligations and objectives imposed by European Union Directives within the environmental policies of the Union. From an economic point of view, supply and sanitation water services are classified at European legal framework as “services of general economic interest” (SGEI), not subject to harmonized regulation and open to a natural monopoly provision regime, which they admit various types of management formulas, public and private, based on the ownership and public intervention of the service, both at national and European level. We believe that the Spanish experience in this field, beyond its singularities, can serve as a useful reference for Brazilian’s urban wastewater new regulation for several reasons: (1) Because of the decentralized political scheme that both countries share and the need to articulate an adequate system of competencies in consequence; (2) Because of the international experience that Spanish companies have at the sector’s technological forefront, they are very competitive; (3) Due to the adequate functioning of the Spanish legal and organizational framework since, despite its shortcomings, as we later will comment, it has managed to develop successful financing formulas and management models that, in general terms, have allowed to ensure with reasonable efficiency, continuity, stability and sustainability in the provision of urban water services.


Author(s):  
Y. Penru ◽  
D. Antoniucci ◽  
M. J. Amores Barrero ◽  
C. Chevauché

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 427-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith Frances Dobbie ◽  
Katie Louise Brookes ◽  
Rebekah Ruth Brown

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document