Here at Wavin, we have been enjoying watching the highlights from the ongoing Olympics in Paris. We were disappointed to see the Men’s triathlon has been postponed today due to surface-water pollution in the River Seine.
We caught up with Anthony Kolanko, Urban Climate Resilience Commercial Manager, to find out more about why this happened.
Anthony said: "If you are looking for 'real-life', tangible impact due to inadequate surface water water management? Look no further than today's postponed Men's Olympic Triathlon in the River Seine today.
Despite €1.5bn having been invested in recent years to improve Parisian wastewater management, the water quality of the Seine has been deemed unsafe for the event to take place today. This is largely due to the impact of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) doing exactly what they were designed to do, flushing excess surface water and wastewater (human waste, in case you were unsure) into the river.
CSOs provide a great emergency buffer during massive rainfall events to protect man-made sewer networks from becoming overwhelmed, which in many cases would lead to flooding. Many countries use this approach, however, the population numbers and urban scale they were designed for have grown significantly since they were first introduced, and now these 'emergency buffers' are being used all too frequently.
While an extensive, mass redesign of our sewer systems would be great, it's also operationally and financially not going to happen, or at least not quickly. If we better manage surface water to prevent CSOs from being overwhelmed, we will in turn prevent the pollution that is turning our natural water bodies into elements that are unsafe for human use. Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), such as raingardens, blue-green roofs, and attenuation systems, are great solutions to achieve this.
"Fair weather means the Triathlon should take place in the coming days; best of luck to all involved."
Wavin’s urban climate resilience solutions are helping our built environments to withstand the challenges of climate change. Our forward-thinking solutions provide a holistic approach to managing surface water, reducing urban heat, supporting nature and enhancing livability for sustainable and future-proof built environments.