Rumia, Poland, to store millions of litres of water underground

A giant underground reservoir will purify water and release it when needed, thus preventing drought and saving a lot of money for the municipality

Earlier this week, the Polish municipality of Rumia reported that they will build a massive underground storage system of reservoirs. The quantities captured there will be filtered and used to water the surrounding vegetation, which will make it an integral part of the municipal flood protection system.

New ways to retain and store rainwater, facing adverse climate effects

Rumia has already secured funding for the construction of the innovative system. Its main function, naturally, will be to keep the water of good quality for the time when it is needed. This will be done in an innovative way, authorities explain, as instead of being stored in a concrete tank or reservoir and being drained in a classical way, the liquid will be purified and kept under pressure underground. To do this, the municipality will use an installation, consisting mainly of connected pipes with a diameter of up to 2.5 metres and UV lamps.

Underground tanks will be able to store a total of about 7,500 cubic meters of water, meant to irrigate urban vegetation. This means that these quantities of water will not be purchased and paid for and that the city will make big savings, while also tackling the problem of water deficit.

Finally, authorities are confident that the action is also ecological as the investment will contribute to safety in the face of floods. In particular, the reservoirs located near Błonia will intercept water that would otherwise flow further, potentially flooding private properties.

The project consisting of the construction of the underground storage reservoirs and the use of rainwater for the vegetation has received PLN 4.25 million in government funding, while the total cost is estimated at approximately PLN 6 million.

While still at the design stage, the city hopes that by the end of the year they will be able to announce a tender for the construction of the water retention reservoirs. If at this point they manage to select a contractor, the system could be finalised by the end of 2023.