International Project NOAH: “Protecting the Baltic Sea from untreated wastewater spills during flood events in urban areas”
The NOAH project is implemented by “Wodociągi Słupsk” Sp. z o.o. as one of 18 partners from 6 countries. The Lead Partner of the NOAH project (Project Leader) is the Tallinn University of Technology from Estonia.
The project is implemented on the basis of a subsidy agreement from the European Regional Development Fund signed on January 18, 2019, under the INTERREG Baltic Sea Region Programme 2014-2020, Priority 2: Natural resources managed efficiently, Objective: 2.1. Clear waters, as well as on the basis of a partnership agreement concluded between the Lead Partner of the NOAH project and “Wodociągi Słupsk” Sp. z o.o.
- Total value of the NOAH project: EUR 2,998,360.25
- Maximum ERDF co-financing amount: EUR 2,432,732.45
The main premise of the partnership project is, among others, to develop and implement integrated action plans for the protection of the Baltic Sea and its inflows, and to execute pilot investments aimed at preventing the discharge of nutrients and hazardous substances, as well as supporting their removal.
The objective of NOAH is to create a concept for comprehensive planning and implementation of smart drainage systems in the real-world conditions of urban environments. A holistic planning approach will link stormwater management with spatial planning. As a result, proposals for smart system solutions will be developed, the implementation of which will increase the resilience of existing drainage systems in Baltic cities to the impacts of climate change.
The Słupsk venture within the NOAH partnership project involves, among others, the execution of the following tasks:
- Delivery and installation of equipment measuring precipitation (rain gauges) at 6 locations within the city of Słupsk, along with an automatic data archiving system, remote data transmission, and visualization in dedicated software.
- Delivery and installation of equipment for measuring the filling level of main sewer lines at 12 locations within the city of Słupsk, along with an automatic data archiving system, remote data transmission, and visualization.
- Purchase of laboratory equipment for wastewater quality analysis, software and visualization, and laboratory materials, including reagents.
- Value of the Słupsk NOAH venture: EUR 158,200.00
- ERDF co-financing amount for “Wodociągi Słupsk” Sp. z o.o.: EUR 134,470.00
- Project implementation period: from 01.01.2019 to 31.12.2021
The project implemented by “Wodociągi Słupsk” aims to investigate the impact of precipitation of varying intensity, spatial coverage, and duration on the existing sewerage system operating in the city of Słupsk. The planned monitoring system, encompassing sewer filling level measurements integrated with a network of rain gauges located across the city, will enable the investigation of the correlation between the intensity and spatial coverage of precipitation in relation to the risk of flood events, alongside an assessment of their potential environmental impacts.
Based on the meteorological data obtained from the rain gauges and technical data from the measurement points on the existing sewage collectors, the Project Partner—Gdańsk University of Technology—will develop a hydraulic model and determine the impact of precipitation, considering various rainfall scenarios, on the frequency of discharge and the quality of the mixture of wastewater and stormwater into the Słupia River, and subsequently into the Baltic Sea.
The analysis of the data and the obtained results will allow for the development of optimal methods and technical solutions that will influence the reduction of the amount of pollutants in wastewater and stormwater discharged into the Baltic Sea.
The NOAH project aims to implement a concept that can reduce the influx of pollutants from urban areas into the Baltic Sea due to floods by up to a half. As a result of the NOAH project, urban planning procedures based on catchment-wide planning will be tested and implemented in partner cities. The NOAH concept will be easily scalable to any urban area located around the Baltic Sea. In order to mitigate the effects of climate change leading to a healthier and cleaner Baltic Sea, these actions will be implemented into the daily practices of cities and water and sewerage utilities.
Kontakt
Kierownik słupskiego projektu NOAH:
Remigiusz Łyszyk
„Wodociągi Słupsk” Sp. z o.o.
e-mail: r.lyszyk@wodociagi.slupsk.pl
telefon:+ 48 (59) 841 83 30
Kierownik ds. Komunikacji projektu
Minna Keinänen-Toivola, Ph.D.
Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Finlandia
e-mail: minna.keinanen-toivola@samk.fi
telefon: +358 44 710 3063
Koordynator projektu
Ivar Annus, Ph.D.
Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia
e-mail: ivar.annus@taltech.ee
telefon: +372 620 2557