BALTIC SEAENVIRONMENT PROCEEDINGS No. 59 - Helcom

Great technical difficulties arose, however, during the
introduction of biological phosphate and nitrogen removal
techniques as almost no-one in Germany had any relevant
experience. The technical guidelines needed to plan and
build the necessary plants did not exist.
To overcome these difficulties and to make any new
scientific findings available as soon as possible, close
cooperation was required with university scientists on
special contracts. As a result, the scientists were
actively involved in the planning stages for all of
Schleswig-Holstein's large sewage treatment plants. The
scientists' main task was to work out the calculation
figures for the construction of the different parts and
the general lay-out. Technical details and blueprints, on
the other hand, were the responsibility of private-sector
consultants. It was the job of administrators to organise
cooperation and to assess the results before construction
started.
Cooperation between scientists, private-sector engineering
consultants and the authorities was excellent and this
meant that remaining technical problems could be solved
very quickly indeed. Everybody gained from the experience.
The first result of the intensive and country-wide
discussion between university scientists, engineers and
the authorities can be seen in the elaboration of new
technical guidelines on how to determine the size of and
construct up-to-date sewage treatment plants with
additional stages for nitrogen and phosphorus removal.
Using these guidelines, it was possible to construct
wastewater disposal plants in accordance with new
stringent national and internationl requirements. This did
not quite satisfy us in Schleswig-Holstein, however, and
we went even further by adapting our approach to local
conditions. This means that the quality of the wastewater
had to be investigated in carefully planned and executed
series of tests lasting at least one week. It is not
sufficient to take the design figures from the literature.
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