4.1.4 Watershed (regional) scale/networks
*NB: The following image is embedded into the above "Watershed Scale/Networks (East Jutland)" node (scroll down the information window plane in Kumu).
Figure 150. (Top image) Kumu map at a watershed/catchment scale and its relationship back to Kanten/The Edge scale. It encompasses two nodes, such as maps pertaining to issues around the deep structures and geomorphology of the area surrounding Vejle fjord and the water catchment/watershed areas that determine the flow of pollutants into the fjord (Kumu, 2020).
(Bottom Left image) The boundary of East Jutland has 19 municipalities, making up 24% of the Danish population (Odgaard, 2019). Image credit: (Odgaard, 2019).
(Bottom Right image) Within East Jutland, Vejle is part of the “Triangle Area” (Trekantområdet) that consists of seven municipalities (Vejle, Kolding, Fredericia, Middelfart, Billund (Grindsted), Vejen and Haderslev, which is an inter-municipal business region. It facilitates collaborations between companies, municipalities, and educational institutions in this region. Image credit: (Trekantområdet Danmark, 2021).
(Extracted from Kumu Multiscalar map – Watershed scale node)
Zooming out once more – from the Fjord scale to the regional scale – we note that Vejle is situated in the East Jutland region, which consists of 19 municipalities, as shown in Figure 150. Vejle Municipality is also part of the “Triangle Area” (Trekantområdet), an inter-municipal business region of seven municipalities that facilitates collaborations between companies, municipalities, and educational institutions. Importantly, these municipal boundaries and inter-municipal collaborations bear no correlation with issues regarding water, as water networks such as rivers and streams crisscross arbitrary and invisible land-based borders, as shown in the watershed/catchment scale in Figure 151. Moreover, the watershed/catchment area becomes particularly relevant when addressing water pollution and flooding. Because the Kanten/The Edge proposals needed to limit water pollution[224] in Vejle Fjord, coastal catchment areas have become relevant and paramount to address. As shown in Figure 151, the coastal catchment area envelops three main municipalities of Fredericia, Hedensted and Vejle, which all envelops Vejle Fjord via land borders. This means that by looking from the water’s (and NbS) perspective, initiatives that concern at Kanten/The Edge scale would require inter-municipal collaboration with Fredericia and Hedensted, challenging the notion of terrestrial borders and responsibility.
*NB: The following image is embedded into the above "Land/water use & Ecological status map" node (scroll down the information window plane in Kumu).
Figure 151. (Top image) Screenshot of mini-node Water catchment map from Kumu, isolated to show its connections to the “Pollution & Protection” mini-node from the National scale and “Land/Water Use & Ecological Status” mini-node from the Fjord scale etc. (Kumu, 2020). The map is made with the data from Miljø GIS from Miljøstyrelsen.
(Second-row image) The map combines the major rivers, the catchment area for Vejle Fjord (shaded in dark blue) and Little Belt/Lillebælt (shaded in blue), against the municipal boundaries (in red), which bears no relationship to the water networks nor the catchment areas. GIS source: (Miljøstyrelsen, 2016; 2022c) and Vandløbsdata (Miljøministeriet Kystdirektoratet, 2018).
(Third-row image - Left) The map shows the major fjords on the Eastern coast of Jutland and its main catchment/watershed area with its main rivers. The catchment area is for the Little Belt Sea (Lillebælt). The topography of the land (its deep structures) influences the size of the watersheds. The pollutants travel along the water networks that consist of rivers and streams that eventually end up in the sea. Image credit: The water and the land are coloured to clarify the distinction. Image from Miljøministeriet Miljøstyrelsen (n.d.) and GIS data from Miljøstyrelsen (2016).
(Third-row image - Right) The map shows the catchment area for Vejle Fjord (in red). GIS data is from: Miljøstyrelsen (2016).
(Fourth and Bottom image) The bigger water catchments (i.e. Vejle fjord) can be further broken down into smaller catchments which can determine more tangible areas for designers to work with. GIS source: Klimatilpasning - KAMP (n.d.) and SKALGO (n.d.).
[224] For instance, there has been a proposal to limit the use of artificial fertilisers within 300m from the coast (in the watershed), which is a proposal that has been declined (Hedrup, 2021).