PP4 - Acharnai: The RainDrop experience

1. INTERREG III B CADSESRAINDROP Project partner No 4:Municipality of AcharnaiScientific support: YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers

2. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • Evolution of Acharnai and its drainage problems (sins of the past torturing the future generations) • Designing for Raindrop (which problem to do we solve first?) • Administration for Raindrop (or democracy in modern Greece) • Works’ progress (in the land of our ancestors) • The future (Rain Drop: much more than just a drop!) • The Raindrop experience (lessons and the final outcome) PP4 - Acharnai: The RainDrop experience

3. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers The hydrographic network – Before…

4. X X X X X Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers and … nowdays:the “man-made hydrographic network The hydrographic network – Before … www.ydronomi.com

5. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers To get an idea of the magnitude of the problem: The event of May 24th 2007

6. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers To get an idea of the magnitude of the problem: The event of May 24th 2007

7. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers To get an idea of the magnitude of the problem: The event of May 24th 2007

8. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • Damage claimed after that flood : 6 million Euros! • If we could cut the runoff by 50%  literally no damage at all To get an idea of the magnitude of the problem: The event of May 24th 2007

9. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • Goals: • local pilot interventionin one of the problematic areas • Visible result • Pilot application that will show the way for more similar projects Designing for Raindrop (which problem to do we solve first?)

10. Porous Pavment 250m3 Step 3 Step 2 Retention Tank1500m3 Trough trench300m3 Step 1 Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers Designing for Raindrop (which problem to do we solve first?) The design:

11. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers Designing for Raindrop (which problem to do we solve first?)

12. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers Designing for Raindrop (which problem to do we solve first?) Ecomonic data: Tank: 380.000€ Trough trench: 30.000€ Porous pavement: 40.000€ Total: 450.000€ Technical data: Catchment area: 315.000m2 Max runoff entering into the tank: 1m3/sec Max discharge from the tank to the trough trench through pumps: 0.25 or 0.5m3/sec

13. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • Delays: • A city in financial difficulties • Payment reimbursement delays from EU (still waiting) • The city is not very wealthy • Elections on Oct 2006 - but new Mayor appointed in February • Very close result (0.17%) with final decision in court… • 4 months of administrative halt • Actions for solving the problem: • Mobilization - The new Mayor took it personally • Meeting in Prague with project partners • Meeting in Rome with the Managing Authority Administration for Raindrop (or democracy in modern Greece) • Results: • No funds lost • Transfer of funds from 2006 to 2007 (exceptionally) • No total delay • No risk for the other project partners and their payments

14. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers Works started on March 26th and by now: Porous pavement: completed on May 20th Works’ progress (in the land of our ancestors)

15. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • Retention tank and trough trench: • Discovery of archaeological findings in <2m of depth • Manual work…from the National Archaeological Service • Findings (pottery, skeletons, a well, food storage facilities) were only 2000 years old…and belonged to poor people (no gold!) ==> The site was released after 15 days Works’ progress (in the land of our ancestors)

16. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • Retention tank: • Concreting completed. • Connection with the porous pavement completed • Connection of the flushing system to the sewer completed • Estimated completion: June 30th Works’ progress (in the land of our ancestors)

17. 2500m2 Σ2: T=10 Q=10.00m3/s tc=0.27h Σ2: Vανάσχεσης=10.000m3 Q=3.5m3/s Σ1: T=10 Q=14.0m3/s tc=0.34h Σ1: Vανάσχεσης=20.000m3 Q=2.5m3/s 5.000m2 Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • Big retention schemes are designed in combination with stormwater network: • Reducing runoff discharge compared to “classic network only” from 24-->6m3/s • Diversion of supercritical flow >14m3/s with lateral weir schemes • Tanks ~12m deep with parking above them The future (Rain Drop: much more than just a drop!)

18. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • Authorities are embracing BMPs: • Construction of networks will be approved on one condition: Retention to the existing runoff discharge to the rivers (assuming no network at all) • BMPs are emerging: • Acharnai - Agia Anna district, 0.7km2 • Municipality of Ano Liossia, 8km2 of urban space with 30,000 inhabitants • Athens Military hospital extension, 0.1km2 • BMPs in the regulatory framework: • The Ministry of Environment Planning and Public Works & National Technical University are working on the: • Overview of the legal framework in the developed countries • A Law Proposal/Draft to include BMPs in SW design and planning nationwide The future (Rain Drop: much more than just a drop!) • The future of RainDrop in the context of the new INTERREG: • Experienced, coherent, and successful team • BMPs with a more holistic approach - Include the upstream parts in the design • Climate change…

19. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • Experience (or lesson!) No1: Driving in the bumpy road of project implementation… • Delays can happen (we are not UFOs, we are operating in the political and administrative reality) • Funding reimbursement delays • Delays in works’progress • Political fist fighting • Delays are not the end of the world (do not panic!) • No need to point fingers among partners • Opportunism (another bad –ism) is not the right way of thinking • Experience (or lesson!) No2: Dealing with the Bosses…Success (or failure) is for everybody … • EU Commission and MA and the JTS are not ruthless queens (on the contrary…) • We can always talk to them • They are there to listen • They want to help, not to punish! • Project Partners, Lead Partner, JTS, MA, and the EU Commission are all partners after all • Talking regularly has been a very good medicine to all problems • Communication and transversal information is always welcome MA<->LP <->PP The Raindrop experience (lessons and the final outcome) • Experience (or lesson!) No3: EU projects are a great thing! • Multidisciplinary, multinational, multiculturalendeavours (Its all about Europe after all) • They are projects providing impetus for change • Promotion of new ideas and technologies • Promotion of environmentally friendly and technically sound solutions • Shaping the future in our profession

20. Municipaliy of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers • The final outcomes from Raindrop project • Methodology for Storm Water Management Master Planning • Step by step approach • Based on the principles: • Maintain as undisturbed as possible the hydrological cycle after the urbanization. • Peak flows and flow volumes will not exceed those before urbanization. • Fundamentally ecological approach of SWM. The Raindrop experience (lessons and the final outcome) • Guidelines for the selection of BMPs • Advantages / Disadvantages • Relative costs • A straightforward tool without getting into complicated science

21. Municipality of Acharnai  YDRONOMI Consulting Engineers It has been a wonderful experience To be continued! ΣΑΣ ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΟΥΜΕ!Thank you!