Prague 3 saves on drinking water. Water captured in underground collectors for watering
Back
on
Prague 3 will now use underground water from collectors for watering the greenery, or for sprinkling the streets. Groundwater seeping into the collectors through which utility networks run is undesirable, so it always had to be pumped into the sewers. In addition, the city had to pay for it. In this way, they save not only money, but also drinking water, which is normally used for watering. Prague 3 also wants to check whether the water from the new collector could be used to flush the toilets in the nearby elementary school, which the district will reconstruct. The construction of the retention tank cost 3.2 million and was financed by the capital.
Historically, potable water has always been used to water urban greenery, but also to sprinkle streets in the hot summer. However, with climate change, all cities are striving for greater sustainability and more economical use of drinking water. Also for these reasons, the project was created at use of groundwater seeping into collectors. The first retention tank was created a few years ago in Uhelné trhu, and Prague, in cooperation with the municipal company Kolektory Praha, is continuing with the installation of other tanks.
One of the collectors ends at Havlíčková náměstí, which is why this place was suitable for building another reservoir. “Over 40 cubic meters of water were discharged into the sewers here every day. At the same time, we have a park irrigation system nearby, which in the past took drinking water from the water network, which cost quite a lot of money. The new solution is beneficial for both parties. Water from the collectors is a reliable and constant source even in periods when it doesn’t rain for a whole month,” said the mayor of Prague 3, Jiří Ptáček (TOP 09).
Of course, Prague 3 does not use the entire volume, so water from the collectors is also used by Prague utilities, for example, for sprinkling the streets. “At the bottom of the square is a control mechanism that works on a chip. Whoever comes here must first ‘switch on with a chip’ to start the pump. Thanks to this, we know who and how much water will be drawn from herel,” explained Petr Švec, chairman of the board of the municipal company Kolektory Praha. “The same system is also in the Uhlené trhu, but here in Žižkov it is much more accessible, and the Prague services can therefore leave more circuits,” he added.
Mayor Jiří Ptáček also said that the district will check whether the recovered water could be used, for example, to flush toilets. “There is a former elementary school near Havlíčkova náměstí. We want to renovate it and bring the children back here again. As part of the project, we also want to find out whether the water from the collectors could be used to flush the toilets. Thus, they obtained a stable water intake in the winter months. In the summer, when the school was closed, it could be used again for watering,” concluded Ptáček.
Prague 3 had a retention tank built on Havlíčková náměstí. It collects underground water from the collectors into it, which it will use for watering the greenery
Author: Veronika Foltová