Wastewater purification plant

On September 7th 2016 we visited with our small group Wastewater purification plant in Most-Chánov. Exkursion was a part of our international project Erasmus+, which focuses on sustainable development. We had a chance to inspect different parts of WPP, we learned many new information e.g. How does WPP work?

WPP+ How does it work? 1. Where is it situated? 2. What does it do? 3. For whom is it?   WPP is situated close to the housing estate Chanov. We can find it between Most and Obrnice. It purifies wastewater, which is collected from whole region of Most. The cleaned water flows to the river Bílina. It is used by 70 000 people from Most, Obrnice and its surroundings. How does WPP work?: Mechanical purification: Cache of grit Rough cleaning Cache of sand Sediment reservoir Cache of fat elements

1) Cache of grit: Water flows to WPP from all the aglomeration by the main inflow pipe. Solid elements like stones, bigger grains of sand, grit, concrete sediment in the depression of this pipe. These sediments are later mined by the grab.   2) Rough cleaning: Protective part is used for removing of rough dirt, which inflows in the wastewater (cloth, fibres, rest of food, vegetables, plastic etc.) The reason is protection of the machines from damage. 3) Cache of sand: Here is caught sand from the streets, parks and roads. Thank to the air are separated organic and inorganic dirt elements. 4) Sediment reservoir: Removing of insoluble substances . They sediment on the bottom in the form of dregs, which is later collected in the dregs reservoir. Dregs is processed and used in dregs management. Wastewater flows and overflows edge, where is baffle which prevents from outflowing of floating elements into the drainage. 5) Cache of fat elements: Oil and fat create in water sticky substance. Floating elements are collected in sediment reservoir and than are with dregs pumped into rotting reservoir.

Biological purification: It is based on air circulation. Bacteria with polluted substances create flakes (active dregs). Bacteria decompose pollution in the water. They transform it into carbon dioxide and water.   Nowadays we can find in the water more nitrogen and phosporus. It is cleared away by oxygen. Bacteria transform nitrogen into gaseous nitrogen , which gets in the air. For phosphorus removing is used chemical shrinking. Setting tanks: Dregs is separated in the tank/reservoir. Upper layer of cleaned water flows into the river. Main part of the sediment dregs goes back to the purification process. The rest comes to the dregs treatment. Outflow of floating substances is carried out by travel bridge. It enables its pumping into the revers process of purification. Measurement of amount of flowed cleaned water from WPP: There is installed measurement of flow rate, which can be recorded and read. Measurement of effectiveness of purification of wastewater: There are installed samplers at the beginning (inflow)of the process and at the end (outflow) of WPP.

1) What is the object of your business? The Company Severočeské vodovody a kanalizace, a.s. is the second largest water management company in the Czech Republic. With the lenght of the operating net it is the largest company in our country. The company provides complex service in the field of production and distribution of drinking water and following sewage system, and purifying of the wastewater. The company supplies 1,1 mil. inhabitants in the Liberecký and Ústecký region. Via filial company runs this service also in the Sokolov region. The company runs 72 treatments for drinking water production and 215 purification plants of wastewater. It is on the top of  implementation of modern technologies.   2) How many employees does the company have? 1715 3) What is your employment policy? To have lower number of employees, who are well paid and of high quality with the guarantee of career growth. 4) Do you cooperate with unemployment agency? Sporadic Do you get any subsidy from unemployment agency ? No, we don´t.

5)Do you have special department which takes care of sustainable development or environment protection. How do you call it? Department of Ecology. Why did you create it? Because of necessity of showing and filling legislative requirements and feedback about our activity. How long has this department work? Since 2007 What is the department of Ecology focused on? What does it do? All the work is connected with legislation about waste, chemical substances, protection the air. How many employees work there? 6 What education and skills are necessary for working in this department? Technical University focused on chemistry or environment. Do your employees go regularly to special schooling or training? Yes, they do courses and seminars. What´s the content of work of the staff? It depends on the field, which is by the concrete employee observed.

Do you communicate the results of this department with other staff of your company? How do you share this information? The communication with the rest of firm is essential for reaching of good results. This ecology department provides especially analysis and data. Does this department communicate with the public or with other companies? Do you exchange your experience? Yes, we do it with other water work companies. How do you inform public about the results of your company? Announcements which are required by the law are given to the relevant authority. 6) Do you get any subsidy or EU grant for running of ecology department? No, we don´t.