26.11.2021 > 16.04.2022

Crime Senne. No Zenne to waste

Robots and researchers, citizens and engineers, all mobilized to improve the state of the river. The quality of the Senne’s water remains a major challenge for Brussels! Discover the complex water network stretching beneath your feet, the people involved in its management and the actions to improve our environment thanks to our mobile lab, set up at the museum until April 16th 2022.

Why is the quality of the Senne’s water so important today?

Inaugurated with great fanfare 150 years ago, the covering marks the beginning of a new era in the struggle against flooding, epidemics and unsanitary conditions. Alongside this vault, the sewer network was developed. Local people adopted the “everything into the sewers” approach to clean up the city, with the river serving as the underground receptacle for all waste and rain water…

For a long time, the Senne remained a waterway for draining waste water. The result by the beginning of the 21st century was extreme pollution. In the 2000s, waste water was purified at two treatment plants: Brussels North and Brussels South. There was a perceptible improvement of the biological and chemical quality of the river’s water. But when it rains, the spillways send the excess water of the sewers into the Senne and the canal.

Practical information

• 26.11.2021 > 16.04.2022
• The exhibition is included in the admission fee to the museum. See our admission fees
• The reservation of your visit is recommended via our reservation platform