Pilot 6: NIVA/Oslo Municipality – Raingarden

The raingarden pilot in Oslo, managed by NIVA and the Oslo Municipality, focused on treating road runoff. The pilot demonstrated its ability to retain tire wear particles and organic micropollutants. Online sensors were successfully deployed to monitor the system’s performance. Co-benefits monitored included environmental and socio-economic indicators, as well as disservices highlighting the system’s multifunctional role in urban water management.

Challenges included the integrated hydraulic design of the road and watershed, which was critical for the successful function of the raingarden. The system’s infiltration nature made it difficult to calculate removal efficiencies accurately, as outlet samples were not always representative.

Despite these challenges, the raingarden pilot provided valuable insights into the design and operation of nature-based solutions for urban runoff management. The findings highlight the importance of integrated hydraulic design and continuous monitoring to ensure effective performance. The pilot also underlined the raingarden’s potential for delivering additional benefits beyond water quality improvement, such as enhancing local biodiversity, aesthetic value and public awareness of sustainable urban drainage solutions.

The insights gained from the raingarden pilot contribute to the broader understanding of urban runoff management and the potential of raingardens to improve water quality. These findings can inform future implementations of similar systems, emphasizing the need for robust design and monitoring strategies to address urban water management challenges. Read more.