Project due to be completed in the summer of 2018
Wasserversorgungs- und Abwasserzweckverband Güstrow-Bützow-Sternberg (WAZ) and EURAWASSER Nord GmbH recently invited numerous guests to celebrate the laying of the first stone of the new waterworks in Groß Bäbelin. This important project is a further step towards completing the Krakow am See water concept with the plant due to be commissioned next summer.
Water for the town of Krakow and beyond
Work can begin on building the modern waterworks in Groß Bäbelin now that the eleven-kilometre water pipes have been laid around the north bank of the Krakower See [Krakow Lake]. The plant will be responsible for sourcing, transporting, processing and supplying drinking water to the town of Krakow am See as well as to the villages of Alt Sammit, Bossow, Charlottenthal, Groß Grabow, Klein Grabow, Möllen, Bellin, Marienhof, Dobbin, Linstow, Bornkrug, Groß Bäbelin, Klein Bäbelin, Zietlitz, Neu Dobbin, Kuchelmiß, Serrahn, Wilsen, Hinzenhagen, Neu Sammit and Steinbeck.
A pioneering project
The new waterworks is being built in Krakow am See (near Seegrube-Ausbau) and will also include wash water settling basins and corresponding infiltration areas as well as a pressure station with two storage tanks (each with a capacity of 250m³) for screened water. Once it is up and running, the three waterworks in Krakow am See, Groß Bäbelin and Kuchelmiß will be closed down and their pipe networks connected to the new system. Thanks to this project, around 5,500 local residents will have a guaranteed supply of high quality drinking water. The costs for building the waterworks, including the pipes that have already been laid, are expected to amount to 4.6 million euros. Well aware of just how important this is for the region, a large number of guests accepted their invitation and made their way to the building site to celebrate this special occasion. District Administrator, Sebastian Constien, made special mention of the Mayor of Krakow am See, Wolfgang Geistert, and the Mayor of Dobbin-Linstow, Wilfried Baldermann, and underlined just how important this project was for the future of the region: “This new waterworks will solve the problem in the south of our district which is becoming an ever more popular holiday destination. The new supply of water will benefit both the local residents and the many tourists. It is a great pleasure for me to lay the very first stone of this building project – a project that will have such a positive impact on the whole of the region.”
Front and side view waterworks (top), front view pumping station (bottom)
“A vision is finally becoming reality.”
Christian Grüschow, Chairman of WAZ
Long-standing plan finally implemented
The waterworks had become necessary due to the deterioration in the quality of the raw water sourced in Krakow am See. The wells there have been affected by the local moorland as well as by residue from a former garden centre, a timber processing business and a landfill. The presence of a salt dome made it impossible to use groundwater from deeper wells to produce drinking water. “A vision is finally becoming reality,” said Christian Grüschow, chairman of WAZ, summing up the project, the biggest single investment ever made by the water association. Once the new waterworks has been built in Groß Bäbelin, it will be able to extract and process top quality water from wells around 125 metres below ground. Tests carried out have revealed that there were no environmental factors impacting negatively on the water. “The first well was built back in 2006 to enable us to check the quality of the water over a long-term period.” Robert Ristow, managing director of EURAWASSER, gave a detailed description of the future project: “The three new filter basins will not only be able to cover the current demand for water but that of the future, too, when the number of tourists coming to our region is expected to rise. Emergency generators will be installed to guarantee water can continue to be processed and fed into the network even in the case of a short power cut. The new waterworks will have the capacity to process and supply 1,200 cubic metres of drinking water – or 1.2 million litres – every single day. There is, however, still a way to go before we reach that point.”
Traditional groundbreaking ceremony
These informative speeches were followed by the emotional highlight – the symbolic act of laying the foundation stone. A copper time capsule containing technical data, plans, coins and a newspaper was embedded into the foundations. Together, the guests of honour used a bricklayer’s trowel to fill the space in the slab – accompanied by the applause of all those around them. This traditional ceremony was a great start to the project and everyone in WAZ’s region is looking forward to seeing the final result.
(from left to right) Robert Ristow, Managing Director of EURAWASSER Nord GmbH, Sebastian Constien, Rostock District Administrator, Katja Gödke, Managing Director of Wasserversorgungs- und Abwasserzweckverband Güstrow-Bützow-Sternberg (WAZ), Christian Grüschow, Chairman of Wasserversorgungs- und Abwasserzweckverband Güstrow-Bützow-Sternberg (WAZ), Wilfried Baldermann, Mayor of Dobbin-Linstow
Bildnachweise: © REMONDIS
