Wasserwerk Fichtenberg (Waterworks at Fichtenberg)
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Wasserwerk Fichtenberg (Waterworks at Fichtenberg)
With the economic boom in the Riesa region beginning in 1962 and the associated construction of thousands of apartments, the issue of drinking water supply naturally had to be addressed. Until then, the two Riesa waterworks in Gröba and Göhlis, with a total capacity of 11,700 m³/d, had been sufficient. However, new sources had to be tapped for housing construction.
Between 1963 and 1968, extensive hydrogeological investigations were carried out in the Jacobsthal–Fichtenberg area and exploratory boreholes were drilled. The water reservoir near Fichtenberg proved to be very favorable in terms of both quantity and quality.
Since the GDR's planned economy did not allow for the construction of a new waterworks in the short term due to a lack of funds, an interim solution had to be found. From 1974 onwards, the raw water extracted from the Fichtenberg wells was transported untreated via the newly laid pipeline to Riesa and mixed with drinking water from the Riesa waterworks in the Weida elevated tank there. All this took place within the framework of the so-called “Gruppenwasserversorgung Riesa-Fichtenberg.” This interim solution ensured that the drinking water needs of the city of Riesa were met in terms of quantity.
However, in order to ensure the necessary drinking water quality in the long term, the Fichtenberg treatment plant had to be retrofitted. The planning for this took a very long time. During this work, various treatment processes were investigated to remove the existing iron and manganese and to adjust the pH value.
Ultimately, the decision was made to install an open aeration system and downstream horizontal pressure filters. The water storage tanks in the waterworks were designed as steel tanks. In order to meet the projected future demand, a capacity of just under 30,000 cubic metres per day was specified. This volume could just about be covered by the existing eight wells. Construction finally began in 1979. The plant was completed and commissioned in August 1980.
The so-called “Landprogramm,” which began in the 1970s to centrally develop rural communities that previously had no or only very limited water supplies, continued until the end of the 1980s.
This inevitably increased water demand, and the Fichtenberg waterworks reached the limits of its capacity. For this reason, 13 deep wells were built in the old catchment area at the end of the 1980s to replace the old wells from 1968 and increase the pumping capacity. However, as only construction material with a diameter of 300 mm was available, the newly constructed wells could initially only be equipped with small submersible motor pumps, as the larger units available in the GDR had too large a diameter to be installed in the wells.
With the political change and the resulting availability of the market, this issue became a thing of the past. As early as 1991, 13 new pumps with the appropriate pumping capacity were procured and installed in the wells.
As early as 1992, the steel pipes in the waterworks were replaced with stainless steel to counteract the advancing corrosion. In 1998, some of the existing pumps were replaced with more efficient ones. The electrical system was also renewed in the same year.
In 2002, three more wells were constructed, this time in a new catchment area on Saxon territory. The main volume of water is now drawn from these wells.
The Wasserwerk Fichtenberg is the largest supply facility of Wasserversorgung Riesa/Großenhain GmbH and, if necessary, is capable of replacing the Riesa waterworks in terms of volume, thus supplying approximately 90,000 residents with drinking water.
Due to its importance for maintaining security of supply, the ongoing restoration and energy optimization of the facility are a top priority.
Source/Photos: Wasserversorgung Riesa/Großenhain GmbH
Contact:
Tel.: 03525/748-0
Email: info(at)wasser-rg.de
Internet: www.wasser-rg.de
Contribution: Wasserversorgung Riesa/Großenhain GmbH