Innovative rainwater solution saves drinking water and creates an exciting town

The town of Nye is an urban development project focusing on sustainability and ‘liveability’, not least in the form of visionary water and climate management with more nature, biodiversity and water in the urban environment.

Among the aims are to handle all rainwater from the town, protect against flooding, integrate water into the urban environment, supply water in a quality and quantity to cater for present and future flows, and to create a new natural urban recreational space.

COWI developed and planned the water management system for the whole area, together with roads and other infrastructure, as an integrated end-to-end solution.

The water management in Nye has allowed Aarhus Vand to develop a treatment plant which uses the collected rainwater and supplies the town with secondary water for all toilets and washing machines. The water solution is the first of its kind in Denmark.

In the first stage involving around 600 homes, and in the long term a town of 15,000 inhabitants, the water will be treated and used to flush toilets and wash clothes at no extra cost to residents. This will produce a saving in drinking water resources of around 30 million litres a year. The treatment plant also offers an advance in environmental technology that can be used both nationally and internationally.