Prestigious Hydraulic Engineering Award Exemplifies University-Government-Industry Collaboration
The project “Research and technology of sponge cities: Hong Kong Happy Valley smart storm water management system” has won the Da Yu Hydro-science and Engineering Award (大禹水利科學技術獎) 2018 (second class) in recognition of its contributions to the technological innovation and development in hydraulics. The project is an exemplary collaboration between the Drainage Services Department (渠務署, DSD), Black & Veatch, and the academia, and has led to the Happy Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme (跑馬地地下蓄洪計劃, HVUSSS).
This is the first time a project from Hong Kong has been given a Da Yu award, presented by the Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society (中國水利學會, CHES). The members of the team were Deputy Director of Drainage Services Mr. K. W. Mak, CIVL’s Prof. Joseph H. W. Lee, Ms. Sylvia Chan, Mr. C. L. Leung, and Director of Black & Veatch (HK) Mr. Andy Kwok
The HVUSSS consists of a 60,000-cubic meter underground water tank that temporarily stores stormwater when a heavy rainstorm hits the city. The stormwater is collected from upstream catchments, and is then discharged via pumps and gravity drains to an outfall. This design reduces flow in a rainstorm especially during peak times, alleviating the risk of flooding. The design has incorporated state-of-the-art CFD and experimental modeling and real time control systems, and has been proven in practice.
As the Happy Valley–Wan Chai area is busy and densely populated, the scheme faced challenges and restrictions on upsizing existing on-line drains, which would have necessitated a lot of road work. Instead, the team opted to construct an underground storage tank, avoiding having to interfere with the already complicated and congested underground utilities, keeping impact on the general public to a minimum.
At the award ceremony, Deputy Director Mr. K.W. Mak called the project a system that innovatively enhances the city’s flood protection while solving the flooding problems in Happy Valley and Wan Chai. With smart, automatic movable weirs, water harvesting system and green building designs, the HVUSSS has been a resilient and adaptable drainage system that also blends in harmoniously with the environment.
The prestigious Da Yu Hydro-science and Engineering Award recognizes projects and individuals whose efforts have proved to be tremendously beneficial economically, socially, and environmentally. The award ceremony took place on October 20, 2018 in Nanchang.
