The main goal of this project is to develop new sustainable sanitation concepts which have significant advantages in relation to ecological as well as to economical aspects compared to the conventional systems (end-of-pipe-system). After successful project completion, the new sanitation concept should be used in Berlin areas, where sewer systems are not installed, as well as other locations (national and international). The management of the project has been achieved as foreseen. No relevant modifications have been necessary. In relation to the technical development all eight tasks have been started. Some later than scheduled but this does not endanger the goal and end date of the project. The first results from the greywater treatment with the constructed wetland show that the effluent quality is comparable to the wastewater treatment plants of Berlin In contrary to the proposal the new sanitation concept using vacuum separation toilets will be realised in the office building instead of apartment building. Furthermore not fifteen but ten flats are taken into account for the project and all bathrooms will be completely retrofitted instead of installation of new toilet systems only. Due to the fact that external assistance for designing is necessary the costs for external assistance is higher than planned. The precise figure will be available earliest at the end of 2004. All modifications do not endanger the goal of the project. For the information and discussion with the national and international public and colleagues about this project many presentations, publications and visits of the demonstration project have been undertaken and organised, respectively. The envisioned progress up to the interim report in March 2005 will be the realisation and start up of operation of the sanitation concept in the apartment building, exchange of the gravity separation toilets against vacuum separation toilets in the office building, designing, installation and operation of the digester. Furthermore all work from subcontractors (Life-Cycle-Assessment, Urine treatment, Fertiliser usage) will continue. Different international presentations are also foreseen. In relation to the financial issues 325.906 € (21 %) of the total eligible costs of 1.552.116 € and 511.515 € (23 %) of the total real costs of 2.223.474 €, respectively, have been spent until now. The 30 % threshold of the total real costs will be achieved presumably at the end of 2004.

River bank or slow sand filtration is a major procedure for processing surface water to drinking water in central europe. In order to model the performance of river bank and slow sand filtration plants, we are studying the different mechanisms by which the elimination of pathogens is realized. An important question concerning the mode of action of slow sand filters and river bank filtration units is the role of the colmation layer or “schmutzdecke” on the elimination of human pathogens. The schmutzdecke is an organic layer which develops at the surface of the sand filter short after the onset of operation. We have inoculated a pilot plant for slow sand filtration with coliphages and determined their rate of breakthrough and their final elimination. In the first experiment, with a colmation layer still missing, the breakthrough of the coliphages in the 80 cm mighty sandy bed amounted to ca. 40 %. In contrast, less than 1 % of coliphages escaped from the filter as the same experiment was repeated two months later, when a substantial colmation layer had developed. Our preliminary conclusions are that the colmation layer is extremely efficient in eliminating of viruses.

Simulation tools help develop an integrated approach for Berlin’s combined sewage system in which sewage overflows pose risk to groundwater and surface water quality

The paper introduces an algorithm for a level dependent real-time control of sewage pump stations and states results from its evaluation based on a spectrum of simulations for three different catchments of the Berlin drainage system. The objective of the control function is to smooth the delivery of the pumps towards the wastewater treatment plant during storm weather events by throttling the flow and implicitly activating inline retention capacities of the sewer networks. The article comprises the definition and functioning of the control concept as well as operational constraints and boundary conditions and the derivation of optimal control parameters. The simulation-based evaluation of the concept shows that it is possible to manage available inline storage volume by applying the control function. However, only if an adequate retention volume of around 50.0 m³/ha Aimp or more is available a significant improvement of the flow characteristic towards the wwtp is possible.

Two configurations of membrane bioreactors were identified to achieve enhanced biological phosphorus and nitrogen removal, and assessed over more than two years with two parallel pilot plants of 2 m3 each. Both configurations included an anaerobic zone ahead of the biological reactor, and differed by the position of the anoxic zone: standard pre-denitrification, or postdenitrification without dosing of carbon source. Both configurations achieved improved phosphorus removal. The goal of 50µgP/L in the effluent could be consistently achieved with two types of municipal wastewater, the second site requiring in addition a low dose of ferric salt ferric salt < 3mgFe/L. The full potential of biological phosphorus removal could be demonstrated during phosphate spiking trials, where up to 1mg of phosphorus was biologically eliminated for 10mg BOD5 in the influent. The post-denitrification configuration enabled a very good elimination of nitrogen. Daily nitrate concentration as low as 1 mgN/L could be monitored in the effluent in some periods. The denitrification rates, greater than those expected for endogenous denitrification, could be accounted for by the use of the glycogene pool, internally stored by the denitrifying microorganisms in the anaerobic zone.

The Berlin Centre of Competence for Water (Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin) together with its partners Berliner Wasserbetriebe and Veolia Water has started a pilot project about new sanitation concepts. In order to define the experiments for testing new, sustainable sanitation concepts a pre-study has been performed. This study included a cost comparison between two new sanitation concepts with gravity and vacuum separation toilets and the conventional system. It could be demonstrated that the new sanitation concepts may have cost advantages depending on the situation. This was a further motivation starting a pilot project near Berlin testing the above mentioned toilet systems under realistic conditions. The operation of the gravity separation toilets concept started in October 2003.

The Berlin Centre of Competence for Water (Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin) together with its partners Berliner Wasserbetriebe and Veolia Water has started a demonstration project about new sanitation concepts. In order to define the experiments for testing new, sustainable sanitation concepts a pre-study has been performed. This study included a cost comparison between two new sanita-tion concepts with gravity and vacuum separation toilets and the conventional sys-tem. It could be demonstrated that the new sanitation concepts may have cost advantages depending on the situation. This was a further motivation to start a Demonstration project near Berlin testing the innovative toilet systems under realis-tic conditions. Operation of the gravity separation toilet concept started in October 2003.

Due to the sensitive situation of watercourses in the urban area of Berlin the water authorities have set special conditions for discharge especially from combined sewer overflows. To meet the legal requirements a central task is to reduce the pollutant load discharged into receiving waters and for this purpose the intelligent utilisation of the available capacities of the entire waste water system. Measures of local real-time control have already been implemented in the Berlin drainage system. This paper is focusing on the potential of an additional superior global control concept. Comparative simulations for three interconnected subsystems are carried out to evaluate different operational alternatives.

Die Berliner Wasserbetriebe haben zusammen mit Veolia Water im Rahmen des Kompetenzzentrums Wasser Berlin ein Pilotprojekt zu neuen Sanitärkonzepten begonnen. Zur Ermittlung der zu erprobenden neuen, nachhaltigen Sanitärkonzepte wurde eine Vorstudie durchgeführt. Diese Studie beinhaltet u.a. einen Kostenvergleich zwischen zwei neuen Sanitärkonzepten mit Schwerkraft- und Vakuumseparationstoiletten und dem konventionellen System. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass die neuen Sanitärkonzepte, abhängig von den Rahmenbedingungen, Kostenvorteile haben. Dies war eine weitere Motivation, ein Pilotprojekt zur Erprobung der neuen Sanitärkonzepte unter realistischen Bedingungen in Berlin/Brandenburg durchzuführen. Der Betrieb des Sanitärkonzepts mit Schwerkrafttrenntoiletten hat im Sommer 2003 begonnen.