Maasbracht also opts for the Rockflow infiltration system in a residential area

The Rockflow design

BLM Wegenbouw of Wessem started installing Rockflow from the middle of this year. Engineering bureau Ducot Engineering & Advies of Herten created the Rockflow design and wrote the specifications on behalf of the municipality. A strip of Rockflow 1 metre in height by 120 - 150 cm in width is installed in excavated trenches. The total volume for all the streets is around 2,500 cubic metres. 50 to 70 centimetres of infill sand, a 30 cm foundation of mixed granulate, 5 centimetres of road sand and finally a hard surface of concrete blocks are placed on top of the Rockflow packages. The rainwater from the front of the roofs and the streets is discharged to the stone wool packages via drainpipes, drainage gutters and underground pipework. The packages fill up from the bottom. Driessen: “A stone wool package of 1 m3 fitted with inflow channels fills with water in 10 minutes, which is six times faster than the norm in this project.” The release of the water takes place within a maximum of 24 hours. “This depends on the moisture level of the soil. With relatively dry soil this can be 4 to 5 hours. In the event of full saturation, infiltration is no longer possible and the water is then discharged into the Maas river at four outlets.” 

Carrying capacity of Rockflow

Lapinus was involved in the project from design to implementation. Driessen: “We spent a great deal of time explaining the system beforehand. There were some questions, particularly concerning the load bearing capacity. Clients, consultancy bureaus and contractors don’t usually expect rockwool to be very strong, because it is a light and porous material. In order to fully convince them, we showed them our test location. A year ago, we installed Rockflow in a range of element strengths on our own industrial estate. Every day, 60 to 120 trucks drive over the test surfaces; in that time, not one element has sunk even a millimetre.

That says it all.” Jean-Philippe Janssens, senior water advisor at Ducot Engineering & Advies, confirms this. “At the time the system was being designed, this test was still running. To be absolutely sure that the Rockflow elements would not sag, we did not design one package, but two narrower ones. In retrospect, this appears not to have been necessary and the design was adapted to a single strip, 1.2 to 1.5 metres in width.”

By the end of 2019, all the streets in Old Maasbracht will be fitted with Rockflow. Lowie Eijkelhardt has been very satisfied with the system up to now and doesn’t rule out the conversion of other streets in Maasgouw to the innovative water management system. “I don’t want to put Lapinus on a pedestal, but I am an absolute fan of the product.”