Safe wastewater disposal thanks to leak-monitored pressure pipeline

In Neckargerach, the decommissioning of the old wastewater treatment plant required the construction of an almost 9 km long pressure pipeline to the Obrigheim wastewater treatment plant. egeplast egeSmart:Integrity DCS pipes were used to implement this demanding project.

Fully monitored through drinking water protection zones

As continued operation of the wastewater treatment plant in Neckargerach would only have been possible in the long term after extensive structural measures, it was decided to connect the Municipality of Neckargerach to the Obrigheim wastewater treatment plant. A demanding project, the core of which was the construction of a wastewater pressure pipeline between the two wastewater treatment plants. The particular challenge: the pressure pipeline had to be installed through a floodplain along the River Neckar as well as through drinking water protection zones II+III (approx. 500 m).

The commissioned design office SAG Ingenieure from Ulm relied on fully monitored egeplast egeSmart:Integrity DCS pipes for the safe diversion of the wastewater, which were professionally installed by HLT Bau GmbH. The intelligent early warning system of these pipes offers two decisive advantages here: firstly, the permanent leak monitoring allows documentation of damage-free installation; secondly, potential damage can be detected and rectified at an early stage during the construction phase. This ensures safe wastewater disposal in the long term.

This is particularly important because installation was complex due to the special conditions along the route. In addition to open-cut construction for most of the route, flush drilling was carried out on a total of seven sections in order to route the pressure pipeline beneath various bodies of water. Due to the challenging geology of these sections, checking for possible damage during pull-in offered a major advantage. This is because damage can be repaired cost-effectively, quickly and easily in this way. In addition, thanks to this technology, damage to agricultural land is avoided not only during the construction phase but also permanently, as the system enables long-term monitoring and safe wastewater disposal.

Maintenance & cleaning

For easy maintenance and cleaning of the pipeline during operation, various egeSmart:Integrity DCS pigging stations operable from ground level were installed. They are operator-friendly, fast, clean, operable from ground level and ensure cleaning of the pipeline during operation. This keeps the pipeline flow unimpaired and makes it economical to operate from the outset and on a permanent basis.