Project: Runoff Delay
Kick accelerates the ecological transition of municipalities in Belgium, aiming to make the country an example of biodiversity by 2040. The initiative encourages collaborative local actions to regenerate biodiversity, highlighting shared contributions and benefits.
Overview of the project
Supported by a hydrogeological analysis, local stakeholders gradually identified the opportunity to establish a network of around a hundred ponds in the town. Then, working groups around the theme of water made it possible to validate a series of complementary actions carried out by various actors in the territory, but with the purpose of helping water infiltrate into the soil, or to slow down its course towards rivers in the event of heavy precipitation. Examples of devices:
- Extension of the bonus for rainwater collection tanks by elected officials of the City of Rochefort to tanks of less than 3m³ which has aroused growing enthusiasm. In just a few months, more than 42 bonuses were awarded, 4 times more than the average in recent years.
- Identification of areas for planting hedges with multiple rows perpendicular to runoff
- Pioneering project for rapid water infiltration in karst layers (hydrogeological tracing tests just carried out in collaboration with the University of Namur and the specialized design office Traqua)
- Strengthening the network of ponds already being dug
Kick brings together very diverse stakeholders from the Municipality of Rochefort so that they can provide solutions together against runoff in the event of heavy precipitation. All of these solutions will have a structural impact on the territory to combat flooding, but also to allow water to reach groundwater tables in all seasons.
Ongoing research
Project still in progress
- Today, 42 of the 100 ponds have already been dug and planning permits have been obtained for a large majority of the identified locations.
- Capacity rainwater tanks were installed 4x faster than in other municipalities where public support was not adapted to the needs of citizens
- Tracing tests were able to take place to analyze the water absorption potential in the soil.
- Feasibility analyzes will follow to create percolation wells in karst subsoils.
- Part of the hedges were put in place near the black spots and other plots are being identified
- The return of rainwater to groundwater will increase the resilience of the municipality, which is autonomous for its water distribution network.
- Kick’s intervention made it possible to bring together all relevant stakeholders in the area (associations, businesses, municipal services, landowners, experts, volunteers, naturalists, etc.) to identify complementary measures that everyone could take in order to launch an ambitious project
- The municipality upstream of Rochefort requested help from Kick to be able to extend the initiative across the entire slope. To be continued…
The support of a municipality by Kick is financed by philanthropists. The implementation of the project components is financed by local stakeholders (municipality, region, businesses, associations, citizens, etc.)
organisation
Born from a philanthropic initiative, Kick aims to accelerate the ecological transition of municipalities and to promote the emergence of living territories in Belgium, by facilitating the joint, friendly and concrete action of local actors. Kick aims to contribute to making Belgium an exemplary country in terms of Biodiversity by 2040.
Together, let’s promote the emergence of living territories. We all have something to give for more biodiversity, and we all have something to gain! Kick facilitates joint, friendly and concrete action by local actors to regenerate, together, the biodiversity of Belgian territories.