Efficient wastewater disposal in the Ruhr catchment area
Sewer networks are used for the fast, comprehensive and damage-free drainage of domestic and commercial wastewater and rainwater. Well-functioning sewerage systems are a basic prerequisite for impeccable hygiene, a good standard of living, necessary water protection and sustainable economic development. The sewer networks in the Ruhr catchment area are generally owned, maintained and operated by the cities and municipalities.
Efficient wastewater drainage: from combined and separate systems to sewer network transfer
The wastewater is discharged to the nearest sewage treatment plant using either the combined process or the separate process. In the combined system, the wastewater is discharged together with the rainwater in one sewer. Rainwater treatment plants are used in the combined system to protect the sewage treatment plant from peak discharges. In the separate system, the wastewater is drained in two separate sewers. The wastewater is channelled to the sewage treatment plant in a separate wastewater sewer, while the unpolluted rainwater is discharged directly into a body of water in a parallel rainwater sewer.
As a rule, the municipal sewage system ends in a sewage treatment plant located in the city or municipal area. However, it is also the case that wastewater, especially from smaller localities, is channelled through transport collectors to sewage treatment plants outside the city or municipal area. These transport collectors lie within the Ruhrverband's area of responsibility. The Ruhrverband therefore operates sewers and pressurised pipelines as connecting pipes with a total length of 317 km.
Since the introduction of the sewer network transfer in § 52 Para. 2 LWG NRW, various association municipalities have made use of this option and transferred their sewer networks to the Ruhrverband. You will find separate information on each of these individual sewer networks.
We will be happy to provide you with further information in a bilateral exchange if you as a local authority are interested in a sewer network transfer.
