If you’ve ever gone on a walk by the river after heavy rain you’ve probably noticed wastewater residue left behind on the riverbanks. This happens because combined sewer systems transport rainwater and wastewater together. When the extra rainwater exceeds the storage capacity of the sewer system it will overflow, releasing wastewater into the rivers. When this happens in the Haute-Sûre region the consequences are of greater concern as the most important drinking water reservoir in Luxembourg is located there. The RESEAUSURE2 project aims to design a real time control system for the sewer network in this region to reduce overflows as much as possible.

Inspiration:

The combined sewer system is widely used across Luxembourg and the Haute-Sûre region but must now meet new emission standards set by the EU Urban Waste Water Directive, which demands the “limitation of pollution of receiving waters due to storm water overflows”. To address this challenge, Tudor and the Syndicat Intercommunal de Dépollution des Eaux résiduaires du Nord (SIDEN) developed and implemented a real time control system for the sewer network in the region, resulting in the RESEAUSURE project.

Tudor Innovation:

This project continues from RESEAUSURE, which focused on the modelling of sewer networks. The first sections were put into operation in 2009. RESEAUSURE2 accompanies the operation phase, aiming to develop and implement a control system to minimise overflow and the resulting pollution by analysing the best use of the available storage volume in the network.

Impact:

Once completed and optimised, the new Haute-Sûre sewer network will better control rain- and wastewater flows and minimise the contamination of local rivers and lakes. This will directly benefit the two-thirds of Luxembourg residents who receive their drinking water from the region, and will help Luxembourg meet the EU Urban Waste Water Directive and the EU Water Framework Directive. Technology transfer could be offered to Luxembourg engineering companies, allowing them to develop similar systems for other regions and promoting the overall modernisation of national wastewater management systems.