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מה זו עיר רגישת מים?

 עיר הדואגת לנצל כל טיפת מים שבתחומה בהתאם למקורה וייעודה ומתבססת על שלושה עקרונות מרכזיים:

It is predicted that by the year 2050, about 68% of the world’s population will be living in cities.  In Israel, which is now in the midst of accelerating urbanization, there are several major challenges.  As we build upwards within a city, the population density increases within a given area, requiring an expansion of the water supply infrastructure as well as the wastewater and stormwater removal infrastructure.  As we build in areas that were previously open spaces, the impervious surface area of the city increases, which leads to larger peak flow rates and increased loads on the city’s drainage system.  Climate change in our region requires city planners to prepare for extreme scenarios, such as flooding or long periods of drought.  In addition, the urban stormwater runoff that flows over the city’s streets and other surfaces picks up a range of pollutants (heavy metals, oils, petrol, phosphates and nitrates, organic and in-organic materials and compounds, including disease-causing bacteria).  This polluted runoff is removed from the city and eventually flows into the rivers and the sea.  Furthermore, the “urban heat island” effect, in which trapped heat results in increased temperatures within the city, affects the comfort of the city’s residents, and may be a health risk for sensitive populations such as babies and the elderly.

A water sensitive city attempts to address all of these challenges, by providing a variety of clean and safe water sources, and by creating resilience to potential extreme weather events. A water sensitive city seeks to improve and increase the biodiversity of its ecosystems by creating microclimates to mitigate the rising temperatures in the city.

The Water Sensitive Cities vision: click here to read

A water sensitive city encompasses …

The Potential of Urban Runoff in Israel

1,400,000

dunam of urban area

(1 dunam = 1,000 square meters)

7,000

kilometers of intercity roads

340,000,000

cubic meters of urban runoff per year

3

output of three desalination plants is equivalent to the amount of urban runoff produced in a year

The Potential of Urban Runoff in Israel

1,400,000

dunam of urban area

(1 dunam = 1,000 square meters)

7,000

kilometers of intercity roads

340,000,000

cubic meters of urban runoff per year

3

output of three desalination plants is equivalent to the amount of urban runoff produced in a year

How can we turn the nuisance of urban stormwater into a water resource?

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    • Collection, detention, purification and infiltration of urban runoff at its source
    • Flood prevention – management of runoff at its source
    • Viewing the city as a watershed
    • Green technologies (no energy input)

Stormwater Harvesting

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    • Prevention of the pollution of downstream water bodies
    • Enrichment and restoration of contaminated groundwater
    • Reduction of saltwater intrusion into the groundwater
    • Supporting and supplementing the city’s ecosystem

Clean and Healthy Urban Ecosystems

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    • Countering the effects of the urban heat island
    • Creation of high-quality public spaces
    • Educational value
    • Involvement of the community in decision making

Public and Social Value

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    • Versatile and varied design, according to the site’s specific conditions
    • Use of modular elements
    • Compact and highly efficient
    • Suitable for densely built-up areas
    • Installation in both existing and new developments
    • Sustainable technology with almost no maintenance

Simple Installation and Maintenance

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    • Creation of a new water source for a variety of uses (irrigation; infiltration to groundwater; urban ponds; water supply)
    • Purified urban runoff is 20% cheaper to produce than desalinated water
    • Decreased load on the city’s existing drainage system
    • About a 30% reduction in road erosion
    • Increased property values due to green development

Economical

  • null

    • Collection, detention, purification and infiltration of urban runoff at its source
    • Flood prevention – management of runoff at its source
    • Viewing the city as a watershed
    • Green technologies (no energy input)

Stormwater Harvesting

  • null

    • Prevention of the pollution of downstream water bodies
    • Enrichment and restoration of contaminated groundwater
    • Reduction of saltwater intrusion into the groundwater
    • Supporting and supplementing the city’s ecosystem

Clean and Healthy Urban Ecosystems

  • null

    • Countering the effects of the urban heat island
    • Creation of high-quality public spaces
    • Educational value
    • Involvement of the community in decision making

Public and Social Value

  • null

    • Versatile and varied design, according to the site’s specific conditions
    • Use of modular elements
    • Compact and highly efficient
    • Suitable for densely built-up areas
    • Installation in both existing and new developments
    • Sustainable technology with almost no maintenance

Simple Installation and Maintenance

  • null

    • Creation of a new water source for a variety of uses (irrigation; infiltration to groundwater; urban ponds; water supply)
    • Purified urban runoff is 20% cheaper to produce than desalinated water
    • Decreased load on the city’s existing drainage system
    • About a 30% reduction in road erosion
    • Increased property values due to green development

Economical

Pilot Projects 

Demonstration of Technologies for the Water Sensitive City in Israel

Kfar-Saba Biofilter

Kfar-Saba

The world’s first hybrid rain garden/biofilter system.  In the winter, the biofilter collects and treats urban stormwater runoff, and injects the purified water into the groundwater. In the dry season, the system purifies contaminated groundwater (“aquifer dialysis”).

Read more

Photo4.1

Bat-Yam

A rain garden/biofilter that was installed within an existing development (along a city street).  The Bat-Yam project is a case study of a typical Israeli coastal city.

Read more 

Untitled

Ramla

A rain garden/biofilter for the collection of runoff along an intercity road (Road 40).  The Ramla project is a case study of the reclamation of urban stormwater along an Israeli highway.

Read more 

Research Program: Creating Water Sensitive Cities in Israel 

Four Master Projects

Description of the Research 

Supporters and Partners

From the Press

Publications

Management and Reclamation of Runoff in a Water Sensitive City

From a Nuisance to a Resource

Annual publication of the Center for Water Sensitive Cities in Israel, 2017

Read more (Hebrew)

Drainage Divide

Article by Reuven Weiss, ynet.co.il, 27.3.18

“You hate it.  That same rain that falls during the stormy days floods the streets and causes you to wait for hours in huge traffic jams.  In Israel, most of this water goes to waste…”

Read more (Hebrew)

First Steps Towards Water Sensitive Cities in Israel

From the journal “Water Engineering” (Hebrew)
Volume 113, pages 20-26

Read more (Hebrew)