The Hera Group has been entrusted with completing the surveys and the digital modelling of the urban sewer and drainage systems serving the municipalities across the province of Ravenna.
Climate change is creating stress conditions on urban drainage systems that far exceed the design thresholds for which these infrastructures were originally conceived and built. This also strongly affects the surface water drainage networks that interact with the sewer systems, increasing the complexity of the analyses required.
It is therefore essential to accurately assess the current operating limits of the sewer networks and to define the most effective measures to optimise performance and reduce the risk of floods during extreme weather events in urban areas.
The study, developed by Hera, involves completing the survey, measurement, modelling and simulation activities for the sewer systems of all the municipalities in the province of Ravenna — an area which was severely affected by the Emilia-Romagna floods of May 2023. The project is based on a collaboration agreement with the municipalities involved and will require contributions from several organisations, which will pool all relevant data in their possession to calibrate a reliable digital hydraulic model. This model will make it possible to prepare a structured plan to improve urban drainage networks.
Once both missing and available data have been collected, Hera will develop a digital model to simulate the behaviour of the sewer system under actual or designed rainfall events, identify critical points and propose measures with their corresponding priority levels.
“The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is a tangible example of how the resilience of local communities depends on sharing knowledge, cooperating and relying on the expertise of leading professionals”, said Alessandro Baroncini, Networks Group Manager at Hera.
The technologies and expertise deployed, combined with the availability of data provided by the participating entities, will make it possible to develop a reliable digital hydraulic model. The project will also provide valuable insights for the competent authorities to plan measures to reduce the risk of floods, supporting systemic actions for the development of the necessary works.
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