Water-Storing Road
What can you do with stormwater when space for open water is (too) expensive or scarce? Or when traditional water storage solutions are impractical or costly?
The Aquaflow® system offers an innovative solution for sustainable rainwater management. This system captures rainwater from roads and roofs, purifies it, and gradually discharges it through the road foundation, without the need for ditches,
ponds, crates, or pipes. This approach integrates water storage under roads and parking areas, enabling efficient use of space, and leads to significant
cost savings and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Street water is typically introduced through Aquaflow® WT (water treatment) gullies. Roofs can be connected both underground and above ground.
Benefits of the Aquaflow® system:
1. Space saving and financial advantages:
By integrating water storage under existing roads and parking areas, separate water storage systems such as ponds, ditches, or pipes become unnecessary. This multifunctional use of space makes the system particularly suitable for urban areas and generates significant savings.
2. Widely applicable:
Aquaflow is suitable for all soil types and various
groundwater levels, increasing flexibility and making the system
suitable for diverse locations and conditions.
3. Versatile options for road surfacing:
The system is compatible with all types of surfacing, such as paving, asphalt, and permeable surfacing. Street water is typically introduced through Aquaflow® WT (water treatment) gullies. Roof water can be connected both underground and above ground.
4. High water storage capacity:
The Aquaflow foundation has an open structure with 40% void space, capable of buffering up to 140 liters of water per m² –1000 liters per 7 m² of street. This capacity makes the system extremely suitable for temporarily storing large volumes of rainwater
5. Climate-adaptive solution:
With its high water storage capacity, the system makes cities and towns more resilient to extreme precipitation. Rainwater is captured locally and can then be controlled discharged or infiltrated into the soil, contributing to circular water management.
6. Low maintenance and cost-effective:
The system is designed for low maintenance costs (primarily annual gully cleaning). Moreover, the system was developed in collaboration with TU Delft, ensuring a long lifespan and therefore low management costs.
Combination with green facilities:
To achieve additional climate adaptability, Aquaflow can be combined with
lowered green zones or wadis. These serve as an overflow from the water-retaining
road during extreme rainfall events. This way, these green spaces, which normally serve as
playgrounds or walking areas, can occasionally function as temporary water storage during heavy
rainfall. The Aquaflow® system thus provides a sustainable, flexible, and cost-efficient
solution for urban rainwater issues, ideal for future-proof urban development.