ABSTRACT
The Zurich Stream Daylighting Program is the concept of separating clear water streams from underground sewage pipes and surfacing stream water pipes by opening them up to simulate a natural environment. The concept is a solution to a problem that many cities face, as traditionally the way to cope with both stream water and wastewater was to amalgamate them into one waste system. As cities grow, the disposal of wastewater becomes a larger problem and the treatment of sewage an economic consideration. When a good proportion of the water being fed into the sewage system is clean, then the obvious solution is to separate the fresh water at source and thus the sewage treatment plants process only waste products. This is the ideal solution from an economic and from an ecological point of view. The concept also encompasses streams that have been channeled into pipes. Historically, this was the way to deal with water, however, from an ecological and aesthetic point of view, the resurfacing of streams is an attractive alternative in the urban landscape. The Zurich Stream Daylighting solution was to divert the stream water flows into a separate system that was custom built to accommodate stream water, clean storm water runoff, and groundwater. The concept of daylighted streams instead of pipes was strongly supported by a group of people from different city departments. The Zurich Stream Daylighting Program was set up and presented to the press and the public in 1988.
