Future experts visit rain garden in Koprivnica

Students from the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering in Varaždin, visited the experimental rain garden of the „SpongeCity“ project. The rain garden, located next to the central wastewater treatment plant of the City of Koprivnica in Herešin, is one of four such installations within the „SpongeCity“ project area.

The visit was an excellent opportunity to introduce environmental engineering students to the purpose and functioning of a rain garden, measuring, processing, and evaluating water balance data within the water cycle segment atmosphere soil. The project gardens (located in Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, and Romania) measure about ten atmospheric parameters, soil moisture and water potential at two depths, infiltration rates, and evaporation under five different experimental conditions for each garden. All data are automatically collected into a shared database, which is accessible online and allows for comparative analysis between sites.

Water is a fundamental element of the environment, and therefore various study programs in this field primarily focus on its examination. This visit provided future experts with a valuable opportunity to experience a real life field experimental model for studying the role and significance of water in the environment.