3L safety pipe system in a water protection area

During the construction of a new wastewater sewer for connection to the nearest wastewater treatment plant, two water protection zones had to be crossed in Liedertswil, Switzerland. The permanent leak monitoring required for this is provided by egeSmart:Leak Control 3L from egeplast. The direct connection to the central wastewater treatment plant with the fully monitored pipe system gives the operator a cost advantage of 40%.

In advance, the Office for Industrial Operations had carried out a feasibility study to determine whether the local wastewater treatment plant in Liedertswil in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft should be refurbished or rebuilt, or whether a connecting sewer through a water protection area to the next central wastewater treatment plant should be constructed. This was because the plant, which went into operation in 1968 – one of 22 decentralized wastewater treatment plants operated by the Office for Industrial Operations – required extensive maintenance and expansion.

The study showed that rebuilding on the same site is not possible due to the confined space available on site, particularly in view of increasing operational reliability and the resulting additional space requirements. Due to the groundwater protection zone 2 located below, a new build would entail increased requirements for structures and monitoring technology.

An annual cost comparison of the options showed a cost advantage of around 40% for the connecting sewer through the water protection area to the nearest wastewater treatment plant. Centralized wastewater treatment also offers the advantages of increased operational reliability and treatment performance. The necessary capacities for municipal development are also ensured by the direct connection.

The decision was therefore made in favor of constructing a new wastewater sewer for direct connection to the regional wastewater treatment plant in Niederdorf. The route runs through two water protection areas and therefore requires monitoring. The solution for crossing the water protection zones over a distance of around 1.7 km is egeSmart:Leak Control 3L, which was installed with an outside diameter of 315 mm.

The fully monitored pipe system provides 100% leak monitoring for soil and water protection. Early detection through continuous monitoring of the relevant values makes it possible to intervene before a potential incident occurs and thus prevent failures. This early warning system enables the safe transport of substances hazardous to water through groundwater protection zones and is described and recognized in regulations (e.g., ATV-DVWK-A-142).

Remote maintenance and permanent monitoring of the monitored pipe system

egeSmart:Leak Control 3L is a permanently or intermittently monitored pipe system that reports and locates damage – even without grid-dependent power. This monitored pipe system can also be viewed and controlled via any internet access, enabling a fast response by the operator.

A monitoring unit connected to the pipe triggers an alarm even in the event of minor damage to the pipe system. Notifications are sent directly to the control center or to a smartphone, or can be viewed online.