Saarland's sewage treatment plants: Millions of investment for cleaner water!
Saarland's sewage treatment plants: Millions of investment for cleaner water!
The waste disposal association Saar (EVS) recently announced that several sewage treatment plants in Saarland are equipped with chemical phosphatelimination. This measure takes place in accordance with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive and is to be realized within the next twelve months. The sewage treatment plants in Winterbach, LEITERSWEILER, Steinberg-Scheckenhardt and Sötern are affected. The investment costs are almost one million euros in order to also integrate the necessary phosphate fitting systems during operation. The EVS operates a total of 136 sewage treatment plants in Saarland and, with the treatment of around 185.7 million cubic meters of wastewater in 2023, makes a significant contribution to water protection, supported by 230 employees.
In perspective, however, there are also challenges. On October 5, 2023, the EU Parliament accepted a modified draft to amend the EU Communal ABWASSER Directive, which, among other things, provides for tightened phosphorus specifications. According to the German Association for Water Management, Wastewater and Waste. V. (DWA) will only be reached by a requested drainage of 0.2 mg/l phosphorus with large investments in filtration systems. The DWA critically commented on the new guidelines and advocates an increase in the limit to 0.4 mg/l to alleviate the financial and operational burdens of the operators.
financial challenges through new regulations
According to the DWA, the implementation of the new requirements in Germany could require an investment volume in the high single-digit billion dollar area. In 2022, the federal funds for phosphorus is still 0.53 mg/l, which does not correspond to the planned standards. The retrofitting to comply with these requirements will require considerable effort in terms of costs, energy and space. Models such as iron or aluminum salts are increasingly rare and expensive on the world market, which can lead to increasing wastewater fees for citizens as well as industry and trade.Another point of criticism concerns the inclusion of phosphonates, a substance that also counts phosphorus in the waste water. According to the DWA, the proportion of phosphonates in the waste water is between 0.1 and 0.3 mg/l. In order to better consider the potential effects on the sewage treatment plants and their operating processes, a differentiated view is recommended.
Support for sewage treatment plant operators
The DWA also offers multifaceted support for its members as part of the discussion about the new municipal wastewater policy. The digital Karl consultation hour has been taking place since February 5, 2025, which is available free of charge for DWA members. This consultation hour offers the opportunity to clarify individual concerns and uncertainties and to receive important information on relevant topics. The exchange takes place in a monthly rhythm, whereby the priorities are determined on the basis of the interested questions from the participants. In summary, it can be stated that the EVS takes an important step towards ecological sustainability with its investment in the sewage treatment plants. At the same time, however, the operators face considerable challenges by the new legal requirements, the implementation of which not only requires technical but also financial resources.| Details | |
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