Brief Communication: Critical Infrastructure impacts of the 2021 mid-July western European flood event

Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands were hit by extreme precipitation and flooding in July 2021. This Brief Communication provides an overview of the impacts to large-scale critical infrastructure systems and how recovery has progressed during the first six months after the event. The results show that Germany and Belgium were particularly affected, with many infrastructure assets severely damaged or completely destroyed. Impacts range from completely destroyed bridges and sewage systems, to severely damaged schools and hospitals. We find that large-scale risk assessments, often focused on larger (river) flood events, do not find these local, but severe, impacts. This may be the result of limited availability of validation material. As such, this study will not only help to better understand how critical infrastructure can be affected by flooding, but can also be used as validation material for future flood risk assessments.

Modern concrete pipes: a review of reinforcement and new technologies

The paper discusses existing reinforcement, future reinforcement and new technologies for concrete pipes used in the sewage systems. Concrete pipes currently in use and under investigation are reviewed. Structural fibres, as the main reinforcement of concrete pipes, are known as an attractive alternative to the traditional steel bars. Steel, synthetic and basalt fibres have been considered. The latest research and mechanical properties of individual fibres are presented. Advances in fibre-reinforced concrete provide a new basis for the design of more efficient concrete pipes, especially those resistant to biological corrosion and with a longer service life. In the article, future non-corrosive reinforcement due to the reduction of steel reinforcement and corrosion protection linings has been proposed.

Analysis of the structure of liners used for the modernisation of brick collectors

Brick sewers were designed as egg-shaped, pear-shaped, bell-shaped, vaulted, and even rectangular (sometimes with granite ceilings and floor slabs). In exceptional cases, circular sections were also made of brick. Efforts were made in order to ensure optimal flow conditions, and also that the cross-section was adapted to the shape of the rock mass pressure line. This is due to the fact that the most advantageous shapes for masonry collectors are shapes in which no tensile stresses will occur in any part of the cross-section under the influence of external loads. Nevertheless, sewage conduits degrade over time. The boundary conditions of their use also change, which affects the magnitude of mechanical and hydraulic loads. Further use of a sewer in such a case requires its renewal, and less frequently, modernization that results from the necessity to change its function. This is usually done by introducing a new conduit into the interior of the renovated or modernized sewer, which in literature is called a liner. The aim of the analysis was to determine the thickness of the liners that strengthen the structures of brick channels with an inverted egg cross-section and with dimensions of 1050 × 700 mm, which are intended for gravitational sewage systems. The analysis included the performance of variant static and strength calculations for the assumption that the conduit after its modernization will be replaced with a conduit operating in the pressure system, which is a very rare requirement. It was assumed that the best solution would be to use a CIPP (Cured In Place Pipe) liner.

Application of Multi-Criteria Analysis in the Selection of Individual Sewage Treatment Plants

The development of sewage systems leads to an increase in people’s living standards and an improvement in the comfort of their daily lives. In 2021, the use of septic tanks is still a big issue; many of them are not properly sealed and can be harmful to the environment because of leakage. A good alternative for them is an individual sewage treatment plant. There are many types of such investment. This paper focuses on the selection between three types of sewage treatment plants (a biological wastewater treatment plant with activated sludge and a constructed wasteland) using MCDA–AHP and TOPSIS methods.

LoRaWAN Based Manhole Cover Monitoring System

An on-line monitoring system using LoRa based wireless technology for manhole cover is proposed. The system includes sensor sensing nodes, LoRaWAN network and application. LoRaWAN based IoT has very low power consumption for long-distance transmission. We use the accelerometer sensor to monitor the position, displacement or damage of manhole covers used in sewage systems. If these covers are moved or damaged, then LoRa board alerts the authorities LoRa gateway. The gateway is connected to The Things Network (TTN), a cloud-based crowd-funded open source LoRaWAN platform. The data is uploaded to the cloud and stored, and it will alert to the maintenance department. On TTN, our application will be launched and integrated with different features such as SMS.

What Effect Does Rehabilitation of Wastewater Pipelines Have on the Share of Infiltration and Inflow Water (I/I-Water)?

Infiltration and inflow water (I/I-water) is a big challenge in sewage systems in many countries. I/I-water above an acceptable level indicates that the sewage system is not functioning properly. I/I-water leads to increased pumping costs and increased sewage overflow, leading to increased pollution of the receiving waters. Many rehabilitation projects are driven by the need to reduce the share of I/I-water and common measures are to replace pipes and manholes. The share of I/I-water is predominantly driven by rainfall. This makes it difficult to document the efficiency of mitigating measures. One way to address this issue is to compare data from rehabilitation areas to areas where no measures have been implemented. Three rehabilitation areas in Asker Municipality, Norway, were successfully assessed by applying this approach. Asker has a 100% separate system. The strategy to reduce I/I-water in Asker Municipality was to rehabilitate sewage mains, either by full replacement or lining the old pipes, and replacement of manholes. The assessment shows that rehabilitation of selected municipal pipes, pipes proven to be in bad condition through closed circuit TV inspection, reduced the share of I/I-water only to a limited extent. Since the rehabilitation done was not a complete replacement of all pipes and manholes, the limited effects are assumed to be caused by the water finding other ways into the system. In separate systems other measures than renovations of pipes should be considered when aiming to reduce I/I-water.

Creating the Imperial City

This chapter discusses the creation of imperial cities: Paris was remodelled by Napoleon III, the layout of Vienna was altered in the era of Franz Joseph, and Berlin was expanded under Wilhelm I and Wilhelm II from a Prussian into an imperial capital. In each case this meant creating broad boulevards, green spaces, and impressive buildings, but also providing clean water, efficient sewage systems, street lighting, and local transport. Monuments celebrating victories and generals were also part of the urban design. London only built a ceremonial avenue in the twentieth century. Maximilian had great plans for Mexico City based on what he had seen in Paris, Vienna, and Brussels, while Pedro II built Petrópolis, a summer residence in the hills above Rio de Janeiro.

Capacity in municipalities: Infrastructures, maintenance debts and ways of overcoming a run-to-failure mentality

There is a growing maintenance debt of ageing and critical infrastructures in many municipalities in European welfare states. In this article, we use the multidimensional concept of local capacity as a point of departure to analyse how and in what ways Swedish municipalities work with the routine maintenance of infrastructures, including municipal road networks as well as water and sewage systems. For the road networks, maintenance is generally outsourced to contractors and there is also a large degree of tolerance for various standards on different road segments within and between the municipalities. Less used road segments are not as prioritised as those with heavy traffic. For the water and sewage systems, in-house technical capacity is needed as differences in water quality are not tolerated. Economies of scale mean that in-house capacity is translated into the creation of inter-municipal bodies. As different forms of capacities tend to reinforce each other, municipal capacity builds up over time in circular movements. These results add knowledge to current research by pointing to the ways municipalities are overcoming a run-to-failure mentality by building capacity to pay off the infrastructural maintenance debt.

From swill milk to certified milk

Industrialization and urbanization jeopardized infant nutrition during the 19th century. Cow’s milk was produced in the cities or transported long distances under suspect conditions. Milk was contaminated with bacteria or adulterated with water, flour, chalk, and other substances. When distilleries proliferated in the metropoles, their waste slop was fed to cows who then produced thin and contaminated swill milk. Following a press campaign in the US, the sale of swill milk was prohibited in 1861. Bacterial counts became available in 1881 and helped to improve the quality of milk. Debates on pasteurization remained controversial. Disposal of the wastewater of millions of inhabitants and the manure of thousands of cows was environmentally hazardous. It was not until 1860 and after several pandemics of Asiatic cholera, that effective sewage systems were built in the metropoles. Milk depots were established in the US by Koplik for sterilized and by Coit for certified milk. In France, consultation services named goutte de lait distributed sterilized milk and educated mothers. Efforts to improve milk quality culminated in the International Congresses for the Prevention of Infantile Mortality.