Project: Clean-up and remediation of the waste water treatment plants Most-Chanov and Teplice/Bystrany

This German-Czech environmental pilot project, especially aimed at further alleviating pollution in the River Elbe, also played a role in establishing a real sustainable environmental protection in the region which is perceptible to the public.

Both the original waste water treatment plants of Most-Chánov and Teplice-Bystrany which were connected to a total of around 180,000 inhabitant units, had suffered the ravages of time. The technology was antiquated and in urgent need of repair. Sometimes makeshift solutions had to be improvised. The old plants could no longer guarantee a proper waste water treatment and the original purification capacity therefore fell a long way short of the relevant EU standards. Both the sewage plants were constructed in such a way as to allow a single-step waste water treatment to eliminate organic carbon compounds. The remediation entailed the upgrading of both plants to allow specific nitrogen and phosphorous elimination. In order to achieve this goal, the volumes of the aeration tanks in both plants were enlarged; in the Most sewage plant this was achieved by converting the old secondary clarifier. Two new secondary clarifiers were built at the Most sewage plant for after-purification. The facilities for aeration and mixing, as well as the process technology for specific nitrification, denitrification and phosphorous elimination were completely rebuilt. A new aeration tank was installed at the Teplice sewage plant. A third secondary clarifier was built to adapt secondary clarification to the best available technology. In addition to the new buildings to be constructed under the remediation measures, all the facilities were modernised. This modernisation encompassed mechanical purification, monitoring of operational parameters and control. These new units also include aeration equipment and installations for excess slurry thickening and targeted biological phosphorous elimination.

Proper operation of the plants is a basic prerequisite for their long-term, reliable operation and compliance with the specified effluent values. The project therefore also enabled the operating team to receive comprehensive preparation for future requirements in a training and exchange programme running parallel to the construction work. This programme was partly carried out in Germany.

The trial operation period of the plants ended in December 2004.