VTA optimisation plan helps the RHV wastewater treatment plant

The wastewater treatment plant in Ort is designed for around 25,000 inhabitants. During the festival, however, it had to process the wastewater of an additional 100,000 people. 

This considerable load required extensive preparations, which began four weeks before the festival in collaboration with the VTA experts. A detailed optimisation plan, which took into account all possible weather conditions, was drawn up jointly.

"Thanks to the experienced VTA biologists and technicians as well as the elaborated plan, we were well prepared and were able to cope with the extreme wastewater load in an environmentally optimal way."

RHV Managing Director Marcus Kaser.
 

How is the VTA optimisation plan drawn up?

"The experts from the VTA Institute for Health and Environment developed a detailed plan together with our plant manager and the wastewater treatment specialists. This included additional sampling and laboratory analyses in order to be prepared for the extreme pollution and weather-related eventualities. Thanks to these measures and precautions, it was possible to comply with all the prescribed limits during the festival," confirmed Kaser.

How was the additional load managed in detail?

"The biggest challenge was the high ammonium load caused by the large amount of organic waste produced by almost 100,000 people during the festival. Due to the location of the wastewater treatment plant below the festival site, there was no natural dilution route. In addition, the biomass increased, which in turn required increased aeration and therefore more energy in the wastewater treatment plant. The weather conditions played a decisive role here, which is why the VTA Nanofloc was dosed in a targeted manner to prevent sludge from being carried off into the stream and the VTA Biolizer was also used to increase the energy transfer and to bring sufficient oxygen into the system."

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