In urban areas, the implementation of sustainable drainage systems is becoming increasingly common. However, the planning of their maintenance and reconstruction is becoming more and more complex. It is no longer sufficient to rely solely on tabular data or to manage the system only when problems arise.
Regular maintenance and timely reconstruction of these systems are essential to ensure the climate resilience of the city. Integrating sustainable drainage systems into the urban stormwater management system is a clear priority for the city, as reflected in various strategic plans and the municipal work agenda developed in recent years.
There is a growing need for a dedicated tool to assess maintenance and reconstruction requirements, with the aim of considering the entire life cycle of these innovative solutions — not just the construction phase. We believe this is not a unique issue to our city. Other Estonian cities where municipalities are responsible for managing stormwater systems are likely facing similar challenges. In the past, stormwater systems were mainly limited to pipelines or ditches, whose maintenance and reconstruction needs are relatively straightforward to assess. However, with sustainable drainage systems, these processes are more complex and require new approaches.
