Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems for managing stormwater in Estonia

Key Learnings

• Collaboration drives innovation: Partnerships between local governments, research institutions, and environmental organisations have led to practical, cost-effective solutions. Working together Viimsi Municipality, Tallinn City, the Estonian University of Life Sciences and Baltic Environmental Forum created two demonstration sites – Viimsi Manor Park and a parking lot in Viimsi’s centre – that manage water more sustainably while enhancing urban spaces.
• Developing a smart stormwater system: A smart stormwater management and e-monitoring system supports emergency prevention and timely response. It collects real-time information from weather stations, flow meters and other sensor devices and transmits it to the desktop of a municipal specialist who takes the necessary measures in case of flooding.
• Additional benefits: Applying an integrated flood risk management approach has many additional benefits regarding economic viability, nature conservation, water quality and amenity, thus delivering multiple benefits to society.

Summary

Climate projections for Estonia indicate significant changes in temperature, wind patterns, and rainfall by 2100. Existing stormwater systems are already struggling to cope with intense downpours, leading to urban flooding due to inadequate drainage infrastructure. Local governments play a key role in addressing this challenge, as they are responsible for planning, building, and maintaining stormwater management systems in their municipalities. Viimsi municipality developed and tested Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems at two demonstration sites to reduce the flood risk from heavy rains. In Viimsi Manor Park, the measures focused on slowing down water flow and improving soil drainage. In the central Haabneeme parking lot, the specialists installed three types of permeable pavements with filter strips to test their effectiveness. Monitoring results have shown that these Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems are cost-effective and have successfully prevented flooding in the target areas.

Contact

Tanel Mätlik
Project Manager
tanel [dot] matlikviimsi [dot] ee (tanel[dot]matlik[at]viimsi[dot]ee)