By Sara Orlos Fernandes
In Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf there have been two rain barrels on the sidewalk in Fritschestraße since May. Now Tempelhof-Schoeneberg would like to follow suit as the second district and set up the collection containers for water on the sidewalks.
The CDU requested this in the district assembly (BVV). As part of a pilot project, the parliamentary group wants to set up several rainwater barrels on sidewalks. As in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, the giant plastic containers are to be connected to the downpipes and thus collect the rainwater from the gutters.
One of the first two sidewalk rain barrels in Berlin is on Fritschestraße in Charlottenburg. It is mounted on the downpipe of a facade Photo: Christian Lohse
In Charlottenburg’s Fritschestraße, residents have daily access to water through an installed tap. Street trees, raised beds and planted tree pits can also be watered in periods of drought. “It was very well received. The rain barrels are in heavy use,” says Jörg Winners (52), spokesman for the Fritschestrasse neighbors initiative.
Water butt concerns about mosquitoes
Whether such water butts can also be installed in Tempelhof-Schoeneberg was discussed on Monday in the BVV. There were concerns about a possible proliferation of new types of mosquitoes, such as the tiger mosquito.
“That is incomprehensible, because the bins are locked,” says district councilor Ralf Olschweski (67, CDU). The closed system also prevents overflowing. After all, excess water flows into the sewage system as usual.
Part of the rainwater flows from the downpipe into the container. When the rain barrel is full, the water is drained into the sewage system Photo: Christian Lohse
In addition to the CDU, the Greens also want rainwater barrels in the district. However, they do not demand the bins for public road land, but for district-owned buildings.
“The use of rainwater eliminates the fees that would otherwise have to be paid to the Berlin waterworks. The saved water charges ensure that the necessary investments can be refinanced over a longer period of time,” says the motion of the Greens parliamentary group.
The CDU application was transferred to another committee and will be discussed again in the district parliament next Monday.
However, there has already been encouragement from Charlottenburg: “If other districts need support, we are happy to support it,” says Winners. With his initiative, he pushed through that rain barrels on sidewalks in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf are classified as residents’ use and are therefore “quasi-permission-free”.