Ground-breaking ceremony for the Abtsküche wastewater connection sewer

Today's ground-breaking ceremony marks the start of the second construction phase of the wastewater connection sewer from the Abtsküche sewage treatment plant to the Essen-Kettwig sewage treatment plant. The project, which costs around 40 million euros, is a significant step towards optimising regional wastewater disposal. "This project has several advantages: the Rinderbach will be freed from treated wastewater and renaturalised, the cost-intensive renovation of the Abtsküche sewage treatment plant will no longer be necessary and the Abtsküche ponds can be used as a flood protection area in future," explains Professor Norbert Jardin, Chairman of the Ruhrverband. In addition, the operating costs are reduced and the co-treatment of the wastewater in a larger plant saves energy and operating resources.

The new sewer will be 4.25 kilometres long and largely laid by underground pipe jacking in order to minimise interference with nature. It transports the wastewater at a free fall to the Ruhr culvert and has a diameter of 1.2 to 1.8 metres. In addition, a relief channel to the Ruhr, a connecting pipe to the Ruhr culvert and 15 shaft structures are being built. Another important element is the new Oefte storage channel with a retention volume of 3,200 cubic metres, which is used to treat rainwater.

Construction will take around two years. After completion, the Abtsküche wastewater treatment plant will be decommissioned and dismantled, which will contribute to the further modernisation of the wastewater infrastructure. The route of the new sewer runs through several geologically challenging areas, including the watershed near Nassenkamp and the Oefte golf course. The old mines in the region pose a particular challenge.

Background: The Abtsküche wastewater treatment plant was commissioned in 1975 and was originally designed for 60,000 population equivalents. The catchment area includes significant parts of the Velbert-Mitte district, which belongs to the town of Velbert, as well as the northern part of the Hetterscheidt district, which belongs to the town of Heiligenhaus. The treated wastewater was discharged into the Rinderbach, which occasionally dries up. Due to technical and spatial restrictions, an urgently required modernisation of the plant would hardly be feasible and uneconomical. Investigations have shown that the Essen-Kettwig wastewater treatment plant can also treat the wastewater from Abtsküche without any expansion. The plant, which was commissioned in 2002, is designed for a capacity of 100,000 population equivalents and, once connected, will treat the combined wastewater inflow, which has been increased by 15 percent to 1,040 litres per second, in accordance with the applicable legal regulations.

This project will make wastewater disposal in the region more efficient, environmentally friendly and future-proof.