Katovice, Wastewater Treatment Plant and Sewer System

The building of the new treatment plant is adjacent to a previous one, which was damaged by floodwater in 2002. The entire construction complex is formed by the building of a water pumping station, operational rooms and sewers built on the riverbank and in the streets of the town. The operational building of the former structure is only utilised as a workshop; other parts have been dismantled. Demolition of existing reservoirs, preceded by their emptying and cleaning, was conducted without using explosives.

The new treatment plant is designed as a system of underground reservoirs made from reinforced concrete. Building work took place whilst the former unit was still in operation. After completion, wastewater was diverted to the new unit. Waste comes from the vicinity of the town and is gravitationally fed by existing sewers, some sections of which were rebuilt but remained unaltered and technological equipment updated. In front of the building is an overflow unit re-directing excess rainwater that would otherwise exceed the capabilities of the plant’s machinery. A pumping station with submersible waste pumps stands on the inlet point of the treatment works. From here, the wastewater advances into a settling tank. A preliminary treatment unit is followed by a point for the distribution of waste, featuring an overflow, where the effluent is separated into two biological waste streams. Operation of the wastewater treatment unit is overseen by a control and information system, incorporating an operator’s workstation, which enables the monitoring, checking and setting of basic technological cleaning parameters.