Reference report: Sustainable urban green irrigation for the municipality fo Marktheidenfeld

Sustainable tree irrigation

The town of Marktheidenfeld is located in the Lower Franconian district of Main-Spessart. Lower Franconia is known as a particularly dry region in Germany. Due to a lack of precipitation and long periods of heat, the trees there suffer more and more frequently from drought damage, especially in the sealed urban area. Trees must therefore be regularly watered manually with drinking water, which is very labour- and time-intensive. In order to be able to use rain water more efficiently, a pilot project with a filter substrate channel was therefore started with MEA Water Management.

The aim of the pilot project was to make efficient use of the precipitation currently discharged into the sewer. The MEACLEAN PRO drainage channel provides an ecologically sustainable solution to this problem. The channel can filter polluted rainwater thanks to an innovative multi-layer substrate technology. The polluted water is cleaned of both organic and inorganic materials through various substrate layers. It can then be returned to urban green spaces.

This form of sustainable tree irrigation also has a positive effect on other areas: During heavy rainfall events, water can be efficiently drained away, reducing the risk of flooding. At the same time, groundwater protection is ensured by leading the filtered rainwater back into the natural water cycle. Valuable drinking water for artificial irrigation is not wasted, working time and costs are saved. In the long term, this should contribute to improving the urban climate and the urban living space.

The city of Marktheidenfeld is convinced of the synergy effects of this innovative rainwater treatment. It is testing it on some trees in the city area for the next five years to measure how much water can be saved with it.