The city wants to promote flood protection
Eschborn – Flooded streets, full cellars – the effects of floods and heavy rains have not stopped Eschborn in recent years. It was particularly bad on August 16 last year. In just 20 minutes, 50 liters of water fell per square meter. As a result: The fire department had to fire more than 120 missions.
Such heavy rainfall events are likely to increase in the future. This is why the city wants to make a better weapon against this, says the Mayor Adnan Shaikh (CDU). For this purpose, the judge had designed a comprehensive concept of floods and heavy rain. On more than 100 pages, there are the detailed studies by two engineering companies, the results of which were presented at a citizens’ meeting in October 2023, as well as a catalog of individual measures intended to provide better protection in flood front.
Locking the roofs
In addition, the city administration has developed two new funding programs with which they want to subsidize private investments by citizens in flood prevention. 300,000 euros have already been allocated for this in this year’s budget. The warning planned by the city is, among other things, about eliminating the dangers involved in the Westerbach, explains Mayor Shaikh. That is why the magistrate has already decided to buy 11,500 square meters of fields and meadows in Niederhochstadt.
These are intended to be overflow areas so that we can build a dam on the upper reaches of the stream in the “Große Rothwiesen”. The aim is to put a dam on the Westerbach there due to floods before it reaches the first residential areas, explains Shaikh. As the engineers’ research showed, the current is already taking most of the water load with it; Only a third in the urban area of Eschborn comes from surface water.
In order to be warned of a possible flood, the city would also like the Westerbach to be equipped with sensors. But this must happen in the area of the nearby city of Kronberg, explains Shaikh. This way you would have at least 20 to 30 minutes notice to respond. The responsible wastewater association will hold the necessary discussions with Kronberg.
With the two new funding programs, the city wants to encourage private owners and associations to invest in heavy rain and flood protection on their properties. In addition to green roofs, the “Funding Guide for Watershed Management” is specifically aimed at installing containers. The normal service water troughs are supported, in which rainwater is collected for watering the garden, but also so-called storage troughs, in which the water is collected but not used. , but is released into the sewage system with a time delay – which relieves the burden on the sewage system, especially during heavy rains. Since there is no immediate benefit to citizens from such vessels, the aim is to encourage their installation, affirms Shaikh. Applicants can claim 100 percent of the costs; in the case of industrial water funds, up to 50 percent of the investment amount is provided.
The second funding guide mainly relates to protective measures on houses and buildings such as installing backflow valves or flood doors. To support those who have already spent money on such preventive measures after last year’s heavy rains, it should be possible to apply for funding retroactively, announced the mayor The deadline for this is August 1, 2023.
Members of the Building and Environment Committee will deal with the templates first on Wednesday, September 18, before the city parliament votes on them on Thursday, September 26th.
2024-09-16 19:38:04
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