WASSERDICHT - The Ruhrverband podcast
How does the Ruhrverband ensure that there is enough water available in dry summers? How is wastewater actually treated and why do the fish in Lake Baldeney take a lift?
All these questions and many more are answered in WASSERDICHT, the Ruhrverband's new podcast that is absolutely "watertight". In each episode, Thorsten Schlautmann welcomes exciting guests from the Ruhrverband or the Ruhre catchment area, sheds light on new water topics and introduces the people behind the scenes of the water industry. "WASSERDICHT - Der Podcast des Ruhrverbands" is published on all popular streaming platforms on the first Tuesday of every month.
In this episode of our Ruhrverband podcast WASSERDICHT, Thorsten talks to our waste disposal expert Dierk von Felde about the exciting and complex world of waste management. From sewage sludge and screenings to flotsam and cuttings - we take a look behind the scenes and find out how the Ruhrverband disposes of huge quantities of waste efficiently and sustainably every year. How is waste produced in sewage treatment plants? Why is sewage sludge a real pollutant sink? And what role do innovative technologies and sustainable approaches play? All this and more in a relaxed, informative discussion - including exciting insights into the work of our current guest. Listen in and discover what it takes to keep the waters of the Ruhr clean!
In this episode of our Ruhrverband podcast WASSERDICHT, Thorsten talks to our waste disposal expert Dierk von Felde about the exciting and complex world of waste management. From sewage sludge and screenings to flotsam and cuttings - we take a look behind the scenes and find out how the Ruhrverband disposes of huge quantities of waste efficiently and sustainably every year. How is waste produced in sewage treatment plants? Why is sewage sludge a real pollutant sink? And what role do innovative technologies and sustainable approaches play? All this and more in a relaxed, informative discussion - including exciting insights into the work of our current guest. Listen in and discover what it takes to keep the waters of the Ruhr clean!
In this episode of our Ruhrverband podcast WASSERDICHT, Thorsten talks to our waste disposal expert Dierk von Felde about the exciting and complex world of waste management. From sewage sludge and screenings to flotsam and cuttings - we take a look behind the scenes and find out how the Ruhrverband disposes of huge quantities of waste efficiently and sustainably every year. How is waste produced in sewage treatment plants? Why is sewage sludge a real pollutant sink? And what role do innovative technologies and sustainable approaches play? All this and more in a relaxed, informative discussion - including exciting insights into the work of our current guest. Listen in and discover what it takes to keep the waters of the Ruhr clean!
Even former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl knew: "What matters is what comes out at the back." The Ruhrverband is no different: in the Ruhr catchment area, two million people from private households and commercial businesses produce wastewater every day. It contains a variety of impurities, ranging from food waste, paper and faeces to residual materials from industry. Wastewater contaminated in this way must not be allowed to enter the rivers. The wastewater is therefore collected by the municipalities in sewer networks and channelled to the more than 60 wastewater treatment plants operated by the Ruhrverband. There, the wastewater is purified using state-of-the-art technology and fed back into the Ruhr as clean water. The evolution of wastewater treatment technology is interesting, because what began with mechanical processes now leads to the fourth purification stage. Thorsten finds out what this means in concrete terms and which innovative technologies the Ruhrverband uses to ensure clean water from Dr Dieter Thöle, who, as Head of the Operating Technology Department at the Ruhrverband, is very familiar with all these modern processes.
The municipalities in the association's area are responsible for local drainage in accordance with the division of tasks stipulated in the state water law. To this end, they operate sewerage systems that collect the domestic and commercial wastewater generated in the municipal area and transport it to the Ruhrverband's sewage treatment plants and rainwater treatment facilities. An amendment to the state water law in 2016 enables the association municipalities to transfer this task of collecting and transporting wastewater to the Ruhrverband. Thorsten discusses the benefits of this for local authorities on the one hand and the Ruhrverband on the other with Balve's mayor Hubertus Mühling (pictured below) and Ruhrverband CFO Heiko Witulski.
The Ruhrverband is a self-governing body under public law and has over 500 association members. These include cities, districts, municipalities, waterworks and also commercial companies in the Ruhr catchment area. The Ruhrverband is both a long-standing partner and a competent service provider for its members in the realisation of water management tasks. The Ruhrverband is essentially financed by the contributions paid by its members for these services. In an interview with Thorsten, Manuela Rees, Group Manager for Customers and Assessments in the Central Finance Department, explains why the Ruhrverband is authorised to levy membership fees, what services are due in return and how members are assessed.
The Ruhrverband employs around 1,200 people who dedicate themselves to the valuable resource of water every day. Whether they are wastewater technology specialists, tax specialists or construction mechanics, they all contribute to the Ruhrverband being able to fulfil its tasks - wastewater treatment and water supply - flawlessly. But what characterises the Ruhrverband as an employer and what makes the water industry attractive? In this episode, Thorsten talks about this with Carolin-Beate Fieback, who, as Head of Human Resources, Administration and Social Affairs, knows the Ruhrverband best.
The Ruhrverband operates eight dams and ensures that the water supply from the Ruhr is always guaranteed. It also owns over 60 sewage treatment plants that are used to treat wastewater. What few people realise: The Ruhrverband also manages around 3,100 hectares of forest, which is roughly equivalent to an area of 4,428,571 football pitches. Berit Hanf and Arne Heck have green fingers by profession, as they are responsible for forestry and ensure that the sustainable management of the Ruhrverband's forests has many positive aspects. In an interview with Thorsten, Berit and Arne talk about their extensive portfolio of tasks.
Dr Daniel Teschlade is head of the River Basin Management department at the Ruhrverband. The department's portfolio is diverse: among other things, Daniel Teschlade has to keep an eye on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in the Ruhr catchment area, observe nature and environmental protection requirements in construction projects, initiate environmental impact assessments and also supervise swimming in the Ruhr. Today, however, the focus is on the Ruhrverband taking over the water maintenance obligation from the member municipalities. In the latest episode of "Watertight", Daniel Thorsten explains the extent to which this contributes to achieving good water quality.
Anne Becker, head of the dam control group in the Ruhrverband's water management department, has to demonstrate a great deal of sensitivity in her work. After all, she is responsible for ensuring that Germany's largest interconnected dam system functions smoothly. On the one hand, she ensures that the Ruhr always has enough water in the summer, while on the other, she has to make sure that the Ruhrverband's reservoirs can still hold enough water during particularly rainy periods. In an interview with Thorsten, Anne explains exactly how this works.
Prof Dr Norbert Jardin is an absolute (waste) water professional: in 1995, he completed his doctorate on increased biological phosphorus elimination. In addition to the future-orientation of wastewater treatment, he is also the initiator of a targeted development of a sustainable re-investment strategy for the Ruhrverband and the driving force behind sustainable water management: in an interview with Thorsten, Prof. Norbert Jardin explains the Ruhrverband's strategies in relation to water quantity and water quality management.
Markus Kühlmann manages the Ruhrverband's fisheries operation in Möhnesee/Körbecke and is an expert for the North Rhine-Westphalia Chamber of Agriculture. In short, he is an absolute fish expert and explains the importance of fisheries management and fish ecology for the Ruhrverband's dams in conversation with Thorsten.