The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly tangible in our immediate living environment. Think, for example, of longer periods of heat and drought, alternating with more frequent and intense downpours. The Municipality of Meierijstad is responding to these changes with the Meierijstad Rainwater Disconnection Tour.
The aim of this initiative is to retain rainwater locally by disconnecting existing residential rooftops from the sewage system. While this approach involves costs, it also brings many benefits: reduced groundwater overload, lower wastewater treatment costs, and a contribution to limiting climate-related damage. Although the costs of disconnection are largely known, the benefits of this measure are still insufficiently clear. Especially because this concerns a large-scale program with a significant price tag, it is important to clearly identify the benefits as well. This helps prevent the false perception that such measures only cost money.
In addition to understanding the scale of the benefits, it is also valuable to determine who stands to benefit. Besides the municipality, who are the other “beneficiaries” of this intervention? And could they, based on the value it creates for them, potentially contribute to the implementation of this measure?
Using a social cost-benefit analysis (SCBA) — which takes into account both positive and negative effects — we set out to provide a clear picture of the costs and benefits of rainwater disconnection.
The qualitative, quantitative, and financial effects of disconnecting rainwater, along with the key findings, are now available in the executive summary.