1/4 Forester Erik de Jonge near a diver in the Vinkenberg nature reserve (photo: Erik Peeters)
When it rains, the roof of the new maintenance hangar at Woensdrecht Air Base collects enormous amounts of water. It would be a shame to let that run into ditches or even into the sewer. The Brabantse Delta Water Board, the municipality of Woensdrecht and Brabants Landschap came up with a plan to allow the water to run into the adjacent De Vinkenberg nature reserve and thus prevent desiccation. “This is the future,” says forester Erik de Jonge.
The aircraft hangar at Business Park Aviolanda is huge. Four Boeing 737s can easily fit in the shed, making it the largest maintenance hall for aircraft in Brabant. 27 meters high, 90 meters long and 90 meters wide. If 1 millimeter of rain falls, that is already 810 full buckets. Then you can imagine what happens in a downpour.
“We’re not just watering trees.”
The forester explains the principle on a dry summer day. When it rains, the clean rainwater no longer disappears into ditches or sewers, but is led via drains to the adjacent nature reserve. The Vinkenberg acts as a large sponge that collects and retains the water. When the ‘sponge’ is full, the excess water sinks to the groundwater for the benefit of the distant environment. “It is certainly not the case that we are only watering the trees here,” he explains.
“This is the future,” he says enthusiastically, pointing to one of the two divers at the bottom of the hangar. When it rains, buckets full of water will soon spray out, which will run into the nature reserve in a wild stream. The spectacle only lasts a short while and it only happens after a downpour. “If that happens, you can’t stand here,” says De Jonge.
“We have to save our water for later.”
Rob Nispeling is project leader of Aviolanda Aerospace. “We have a surplus of water, while the Brabantse Wal is struggling with desiccation. Together with the Brabantse Delta water board, the municipality of Woensdrecht and Brabants Landschap, we came up with this solution. The amount of water that we drain into the nature reserve is equivalent to twelve swimming pools per year.”
In the longer term, about eighty percent of the rainwater on the airbase buildings should be discharged into nature in this way. Erik de Jonge: “This is a wonderful example of companies and nature organizations working together to combat dehydration. We have to save our water for later and that is why it should happen in more places.”