Burgenland wastewater association plans three-year sewer repairs

Several wastewater associations in Burgenland are facing major investments and repair work, ORF reported. The Eisenstadt-Eisbachtal Wastewater Association treats sewage from Eisenstadt, Müllendorf, Großhöflein and Trausdorf.

The facility has been expanded and modernised repeatedly in recent years as the population has grown. Some sewer lines are now ageing and urgently require renovation, said Thomas Kögler, managing director of the association.

The repairs are planned to take three years and cost about 120,000 euros. Kögler said the costs were moderate because the association was taking care to prevent the damage from becoming more extensive.

Underground repair method

The sewer pipes will be repaired underground, avoiding excavation work. Workers insert a resin-soaked liner and cure it on site with ultraviolet light, creating a new, stable pipe inside the old one, said construction manager Maximilian Kleber.

The method reduces noise, traffic disruption and CO2 emissions, while also shortening the construction period.

Changes to sludge disposal

The association must also reorganise its sewage sludge disposal in the coming years. The sludge is currently spread on fields, but it will have to be recycled or incinerated in future.

An additional treatment stage will also be needed to remove residues from medicines and the cosmetics industry. Kögler said the changes would cost a great deal of money, which the municipalities would have to provide.

Sewage sludge must be incinerated from 2033. Under an EU directive, the new fourth treatment stage is to be operational by 2040.