Walloon Brabant: informative probes because, “too often, our sewers look like trash cans”

“Too often, the agents testify, our sewers look like garbage cans.” Raphaêl Lateur, spokesperson for in BW: “Storm overflows ensure the junction between the sewers, collecting wastewater from homes and rainwater, and the collectors, which direct this water to our stations. During heavy rains, the weirs act as a safety valve by overflowing the excess water towards the river in order to prevent the sewers, collectors and stations from being flooded.”

81 of the 1,465 storm overflows are monitored remotely

Hence the importance of closely monitoring storm overflows.

“Currently, continues Raphaël Lateur, 81 of the 1,465 storm overflows are monitored remotely by probes informing our agents responsible for the maintenance of the collection networks of a possible discharge of wastewater into the river in dry weather. These probes have essentially been placed in sensitive works so that we can restore the collection of effluents as soon as possible.”

For our province, the In BW intermunicipal company was awarded fifty-three weirs to study, spread over the technical basins of the treatment plants in the Hain valley, Hamme-Mille and Bomal-Ramillies.

Raphaël Lateur: “We are currently coupling a sampler to this device. This allows us to take samples from storm overflows. The approach is part of a working group between the Company Public Water Management, seven Approved Sanitation Organizations and the Center of Expertise in Water Treatment and Management (Liège) The aim is to determine the volumes overflowed from storm overflows into the natural environment, such as streams or ditches, as well as the pollutant load during rainy episodes.”