Work starts on uncovering long-buried urban stream in Uccle

A long-buried stream in the Brussels neighbourhood of Uccle will soon reappear at the lower end of Wolvendael Park as restoration work gets under way.

The section that will be brought back to the surface has been buried underground since the last century following the town’s urbanisation.

The water from the stream, which currently flows through a culvert beneath Avenue de Fré, will be channelled to the pond in Wolvendael Park before continuing its course in the open for a few dozen metres.

Walkers will be able to see the stream from the entrance at Square des Héros once the €716,225 project is complete.

“In the 20th century, urbanisation led to the disappearance of our streams,” said Maëlle De Brouwer, Uccle’s alderwoman for environment and climate.

“Today, the trend is reversed: we are restoring them to the open air.”

The local authority said that this project addressed several challenges. It aims firstly to help reduce the risk of flooding by diverting some of the water that currently flows through the sewers, which are regularly overwhelmed during heavy rainfall. The pond will also be enlarged by 40% to increase its storage capacity.

The stream will also help to oxygenate the pond more effectively, limit the proliferation of duckweed and enhance biodiversity.

“The presence of water - and, above all, moving water - also helps to cool the town during heatwaves,” De Brouwer said.