Oud-Heverlee (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In Oud-Heverlee, E. coli was found in the Vaalbeek. Alderman Tom Teck says some homes may still leak wastewater. Fluvius may fine residents. Group SAMEN urges regular checks.
As VRT News reported, in Oud-Heverlee, a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, some people may get fines because their wastewater is still going into the Vaalbeek stream. This was found during a project called “Water Samples” (or “Watermonsters”), where local people helped take water from streams to test for pollution. The tests showed there was a lot of E. coli bacteria in the Vaalbeek.
This worried the local government, because they thought all homes were already connected to the main sewer system. Tom Teck, who is the alderman for the environment from the group PRO OH, said this kind of pollution should not happen anymore. The town has already spent a lot of money in the last few years to fix and improve the sewers and make the water cleaner.
What is causing wastewater from Oud-Heverlee homes to pollute Vaalbeek?
Tom Teck said that all homes should be connected to the sewer system. But the E. coli in the stream shows that something is still wrong. He thinks that some houses may not be fully disconnected from the stream. Some old or illegal pipes might still be in use.
The town will now look into this more closely. They want to find out where the wastewater is coming from. If people are not following the rules, they can get a fine. Teck said it is important to fix the problem fast to keep the Vaalbeek clean. He also said that the Water Samples project helped find the problem.
“Residents themselves are often not fully aware of the pipes running under their homes and where they lead,”
The alderman said.
“Especially if they didn’t build their own homes, but bought them.”
After the work, Fluvius uses a smoke test. They blow smoke into the pipes to see if there are any leaks or wrong connections. Tom Teck says this is done to make sure everything is working as it should. But he also says that some people may not have finished the work on their side.
“But those houses violate Flemish regulations,”
Said the alderman.
“They will therefore really have to make the adjustments. We will be closely monitoring this in the coming months and years to ensure that this happens.”
According to officials, pollution was found in the Vaalbeek stream. Fluvius is now asking some residents to fix their pipes. These homes may still send wastewater into the stream. People must solve the problem within a few months. If they do not act, the town will take steps to punish them. The group SAMEN wants the town to keep checking the water often. They say this is needed to protect nature and people’s health.
A similar problem happened before in another part of the region, where some homes were also found sending dirty water into a nearby stream. Just like in Oud-Heverlee, the pipes were not fully connected to the sewer system. The local government had to step in and ask residents to fix the issue. Some people were fined because they did not follow the rules.
