Energia - Środowisko - Infrastruktura
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21 marca 2006 r.

Water quality improvement in Szczecin

Year of large investments

In 2006 investments for improvement of water and sewage system in Szczecin will reach 300 million PLN. This is as if every resident of the city, whether young or old, spent for this purpose several hundred Zloty from his home budget.

The "Water Quality Improvement in Szczecin" programme will soon enter its main phase. The past 3 years meant a lot of hard work for us but much time was spent on project design and administrative procedures. This is because, in line with project assumptions, the contractor is required to first elaborate the project, obtain construction permit and then implement the investment.

Do not pollute the Odra

We have already signed all contracts for the investment spending so far over 24 million euros for their realization. This year we will launch works at full steam. The cost of investments in 2006 will be three times the level of the past 12 months.

The residents of Szczecin often associate the programme with construction of the "Pomorzany" mechanical-biological sewage treatment plant.

This is not surprising, as the "Pomorzany" treatment plant is the most important investment awaited for several decades, says Stanisław Jankowski, Deputy Chairman of the Board at Zakład Wodociągów i Kanalizacji Sp. z o.o. and Measure Authorising Officer, appointed by the Minister of the Environment. We are already through a lot of necessary construction works. For example, we have completed major piling operations - about 2000 piles have been installed. The need for piling is connected with the specific location of the city making many investments expensive. In Spring 2006, we will begin structural construction works and the treatment plant will finally "come out of the ground".

The plant will be the heart of the whole sewage treatment system in Szczecin's left bank districts. Additionally, we are constructing four large modern sewage pumping stations which will jointly pump sewage to the "Pomorzany" treatment plant. One of them - "Górny Brzeg" - has already been constructed, another one - "Białowieska" - will be put into operation in June/July this year.

The "Water Quality Improvement in Szczecin" programme addresses sewage problems also of the city's right bank areas. So far, sewage from this part of Szczecin has been handled by the mechanical-chemical sewage treatment plant in Zdroje. Within the next two years, this plant will undergo a substantial modernization. The mechanical sewage treatment unit will be developed and the plant will be expanded by the most efficient part - that is the biological treatment unit. After contract execution, the treatment capacity of the two sewage treatment plants in Szczecin will reach 90 000 cm of sewage per day.

Pumping stations and treatment plants in Szczecin will be linked together by a network of sewage force mains. Several kilometres of the network will be lain at the depth of a few metres by means of controlled drilling. This year we plan to lay two sewage collector lines under the Odra bed. We have to be ready with this task before "The Tall Ships Races 2007" in Szczecin begin.

We chose to lay collector lines under the river bed because narrow and very busy streets of the city make such construction works impossible, says Jankowski.

Other tasks under the sewage management project involve construction in 2006 of close to 90 km of sewage network and upgrade of over 50 km of the existing sewers. One of the pilot contracts, comrising renovation of 9 km of sewage network was completed in the early 2005 - it was the first contract to be realized under the "Water Quality Improvement in Szczecin" programme. Currently, we are simultaneously renovating several sections of the sewage network in the city's left bank districts.

Better water quality

Apart from the sewage system, the "Water Quality Improvement in Szczecin" programme addresses also problems of water supply system. The main contracts in this area involve construction of a new water main connecting the Lake Miedwie water intake to the city (15 km) and construction of water supply network in the northern parts of Szczecin.

Residents from these districts complain, particularly during summer months, about water supply. And, we must remember, that these districts are considered developing areas of Szczecin, especially the quickly developing district of Warszewo, says Jankowski. Therefore, execution of this contract will help to solve periodic problems with water supply in these areas and to prepare and develop new areas for construction.

Apart from that, we are also constructing a new filter station on active carbon field in the "Miedwie" Water Production Plant even though ZWiK laboratory assures that the quality of water currently supplied to Szczecin is even higher than official norms.

Lower social costs

During the implementation of the "Water Quality Improvement in Szczecin" project, the extremely high eco charges were suspended. Timely implementation of the project, whose deadline is set for December 2010, will allow Szczecin to avoid additional costs. Otherwise they would have to be borne by city residents translating into higher water and sewage charges. All investments in Szczecin must be completed by the end of 2008 and project accounts must be prepared no later then by the end of 2010.

Piotr Żelazowski

www.zwik.szczecin.pl