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Case

Climate change adaptation

Flood prevention

Nature based solutions

Cloudburst protection in a green disguise: Skovmosen and Den Våde Eng

12. November 2020

Solution provider

HOFOR

HOFOR - Greater Copenhagen Utility is the largest utility company in Denmark. One million Danes depend on our supplies. The company is owned by 8 municipalities, and the City of Copenhagen owns 73 per cent of the company.

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HOFOR is in the throes of preparing the metropolitan area of Copenhagen for tomorrow’s many cloudbursts and torrential rainfall. Vallensbæk now has two large green spaces that offer cloudburst protection and opportunities for recreation.

Green cloudburst protection

Along Vejlegårdsvej in Vallensbæk, there is an area prosaically named The Wet Meadow. At first sight, it seems to be a regular green piece of land, where the people of Vallensbæk can walk surrounded by vegetation and birdsong. However, The Wet Meadow has another function.

HOFOR has dug two valleys in the meadow that collect rainwater after a cloudburst or torrential rainfall, from which the water can evaporate or seep into the surrounding meadow. The valleys are connected to a watercourse. When one valley is full, the water flows into the next.

If rainfall is so torrential that both valleys are full, surplus water flows under the road (Vejlegårdsvej) and over into Skovmosen Marsh. A stream meanders through Skovmosen Marsh and, after very heavy rain, the marsh floods to become a lake. Skovmosen can retain up to 7,000 m3 of water.

A recreational area in flux

Even though The Wet Meadow and Skovmosen Marsh are intended to collect surplus water, the area is an ideal recreational spot for the local community. – no matter the weather and water level.

Pedestrian bridges and paths on both sides of the area ensure that the Wet Meadow and Skovmosen Marsh are passable regardless of the water level and in all weathers. Visitors can experience an area that is constantly changing, where streams suddenly appear in dry meadows and streams turn into lakes.

An end to inundated cellars and classrooms

The neighbouring Vallensbæk School and Sports Centre are already enjoying the benefits of the Wet Meadow and Skovmosen Marsh. Every time there was a cloudburst and torrential rain, flooded cellars and classrooms plagued both institutions.

Now, all the rain that falls on the school grounds is channelled over to the new green areas, easing the pressure on sewers and drains, and preventing the school cellar and classrooms from flooding. Students and teachers can attend school without getting their feet wet!

A 3VAND partner

We are an active partner in 3VAND – a strategic collaborative partnership consisting of the leading water utilities in Denmark: HOFORBIOFOS, Aarhus Vand and VCS Denmark.