Riobase, the system co-designed by HZ researchers for risk-based management of Zeeland's sewer system, has been nominated for the WOW Prize. This is an award for collaborative projects in road, waterway and water management. Out of more than 30 nominated projects, Riobase is one of the eight contenders and in the race for the jury prize of 10,000 euros. There is also a public prize of 5,000 euros. You can vote via this site.
A well-functioning sewer is vitally important, but as a small municipality, how do you make sure that the management does not cost unnecessary effort and money? The Data Science and Asset Management research groups of the HZ, the SAZ+ partnership (consisting of Waterschap Scheldestromen, Evides Waterbedrijf and the thirteen Zeeland municipalities) have together created a framework, a toolbox of tools and techniques that will enable smaller municipalities to manage their sewer systems even on the basis of risk and data. This assumes that you can always count on the sewer system and maintenance is only carried out when it is really necessary. This saves unnecessary work and costs.
Knowledge and expertise
So far, most sewer managers (municipalities and water boards) work on the basis of knowledge and expertise in their field. Every year, a different part of the systems in the thirteen Zeeland municipalities is due for maintenance. A risk-based way of working is difficult for small municipalities, where often one or two people are responsible for sewer management. They cannot focus on sewer management because they are also responsible for other tasks of the municipality.
WOW Prize
The platform WOW stands for "Road meets Road, Water meets Water. It is the national network of road, waterway and water managers and presents the WOW Prize every two years. The award is an honorary stage for projects that, through extraordinary cooperation, bring innovation and improvement. Winners receive a sum of money to take the project a step further. There is also a public award. You can vote for Riobase through this link. The awards will be presented on November 2, during the national WOW Day.