Energia - Środowisko
Dodatek promocyjno-reklamowy do "RZECZPOSPOLITEJ".
15 listopada 2005 r.

Otwock will attract investors and health resort patents

Statement by Andrzej Szaciłło, Mayor of Otwock

Otwock, a small town situated amid pine woods upon the picturesque Świder river, has long been appreciated by inhabitants of the Mazovia region for the health care and recreational opportunities it offers. Outstanding landscapes and natural values of the town and its municipality attract many tourists and health resort patients, also from abroad. Close proximity to Warsaw offers good prospects both for the town's inhabitants and for investors from the leisure and tourism industry. There is also big interest in investment and housing development lands in Otwock.

However, a significant obstacle to the dynamic development of Otwock is posed by shortages in water and sewage infrastructure. Only a small part of the town and its municipality is covered by water and sewage network. Close to half of the town's population use private water intakes which often do not meet sanitary standards, and even fewer households are connected to the sewage system. Residential sewage is often collected in leaky containers which allow it to infiltrate the soil and subsequently enter ground and surface waters. The condition of the natural environment in Otwock worsens, including, inter alia, the river Świder which enters the Vistula.

Undoubtedly, development and modernization of water and sewage system would improve living conditions in Otwock and help better protect the environment. For this purpose, the town developed an improvement project worth over 38 million euros. Approved by the European Commission in December 2004, the project will be co-financed by national and European Union funds. After expanding the application by environmental impact evaluation, Otwock will be awarded close to 20 million euros (61% of qualified expenses) in grant aid from the Cohesion Fund. The remaining 18 million euros will come form Otwock's budget, bank loans and loans granted by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management - a managing authority for all EU co-financed projects. The agreement signed with the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in September 2005, gives access to European Union funds.

Water management

The 100 km long water network in Otwock constructed over 30 years ago has been operated by Otwocki Zakład Wodociągów i Kanalizacji (Otwock water and sewage company) since 1993. The water main supplies drinking water to 55% of inhabitants of Otwock and Karczew - nearly 32 thousand people (these two towns constitute a single agglomeration). Water is supplied from three water stations located at Karczewska Street, Sienkiewicza Street and Borowa Street. "Karczewska" water station with capacity of 416 cubic meters per hour is the main source of water supply to the southern and the central part of the town. The remaining two stations, with the total capacity of 90 cubic meters per day, supply drinking water to the eastern part of the town and to the detached house district.

In areas not covered by the water transmission network, water is supplied from private intakes.

Approved by the European Commission, the water management project envisages modernization of "Karczewska" water treatment plant, whose capacity will raise to 12 000 cubic meters per day after installation of modern filters and pumps, and automation of operations control system in "Sienkiewicza" and "Borowa" treatment plants and in "Batory" intake. Currently, a new water station at Grunwaldzka Street and a 120 km water supply network in the south-western and the northern part of Otwock covering, inter alia, Kresy and Świder districts is being designed.

In order to ensure security and reliability of water supplies also in emergency situations, it is necessary to connect all water supply sources into a single ring-shaped network.

Sewage management

Otwock and Karczew have 93 km of sanitary sewage network (including 6 pumping stations and a sewage force main) which covers nearly 40 thousand households (68%), mainly in the southern and the south-eastern part of the agglomeration. Sewage is conveyed to the treatment plant in Otwock by a collector sewer built in the 1920s and 30s. The sewage management project envisages refurbishment and modernization of the collector sewer and construction of over 84 km of new sewage network with lateral sewers and 8 pumping stations.

Development of the sewage system will allow for liquidation of leaky cesspools and will halt environmental degradation around them.

Sludge management

In the area of sludge management, the town plans to further expand the mechanical-biological treatment plant in Otwock which collects sewage from the town and its neighbouring municipalities: Karczew, Józefów and Celestynów. Works will include airtight sealing of primary settling tank, installation of a grit chamber with delivery pipes and construction of denitrification chambers. This is necessary to comply with the tightening standards for treated sewage quality. As a result of earlier modernization, the level of nitrogen and phosphorous reduction increased from 59 to 80% and from 9 to 87% respectively.

The by-products of the treatment process are screenings and sand (which are disposed in landfills) and sludge. In order to comply with European Union standards for sludge management, treatment process need to be altered. The only possibility to meet EU standards is through construction of a thermal sludge treatment facility. Co-financed from the Cohesion Fund, the sludge management project envisages construction of such a facility, with estimated capacity of 24 tonnes of dried sludge per day, in the sewage treatment plant in Otwock. The investment will allow for a 90% reduction in sludge volume. It will also solve problems connected with sludge management and will minimize the quantity of wastes disposed in landfills.

Completion of all tasks included in the project, which is to be completed in 2008, will ensure full compliance of Otwock's water and sewage system with Polish and European Union regulations.

Opracowała Jolanta Czudak-Kiersz

Urząd Miasta Otwocka
05-400 Otwock, ul. Armii Krajowej 5
tel. (022) 779-20-01, 777-27-92
fax (022) 779-42-25
e-mail: [email protected]
www.otwock.pl