'Together we make the local water cycle whole again' 

Blue-green infrastructure increasingly important

In addition to flooding, in recent years we have increasingly faced heat stress. Greening gardens and public spaces, especially through trees and shrubs, is a proven solution to this. But how do you make sure everything stays green? This is one of the major challenges in future-oriented water management.

ACO has extensive experience in public spaces. "We see that blue-green infrastructure is becoming increasingly important, especially in light of the effects of climate change." Speaking is Rieks Hulst, manager of product management and marketing at ACO. "During extreme rainfall, existing infrastructure often struggles to collect and drain large amounts of water. This can lead to flooding and often pollution. On the other hand, during warm periods there is a lack of water in the natural water cycle, because rainwater that has fallen has long since infiltrated or evaporated."

Don't infiltrate but irrigate 

For decades, rainwater has been disconnected by means of wadis or underground infiltration facilities. The disadvantage of this is that new greenery does not benefit from this as much. This water is often much too deep for the young roots. "We are convinced that it is important to first see if you can use rainwater to preserve greenery before infiltrating or draining it."

Fully automatic rainwater system

"One of our most talked-about projects is the one in Raalte, where we installed a fully automatic rainwater system. Here, water is collected in meandering line gutters, then purified and collected in an underground water buffer. Based on moisture sensors in the ground and the current weather forecast, water is then given or not. This saves the municipality a lot of time, water and costs. And these are important benefits in these times of climate change."

Holding is the solution

A smart garden or public space that can cope with the vagaries of our current climate will be needed if we want to continue to enjoy greenery carefree. And the good news is, that's getting easier and easier. We offer a range of solutions for this with effective quality products with an eye for aesthetics. Even our own office building in Doetinchem has a smart garden. Rainwater is collected from our roof, purified and stored. In dry periods, the watering system is activated automatically. This keeps our garden beautifully green. At ACO, we are happy to help bring it full circle.