New Sewerage System and Treatment Plant in Blansko Will Protect Moravian Karst. Builders Are Already Finishing

The unique Moravian Karst cave systems face significant long-term environmental problems. They are threatened by untreated wastewater from municipalities at higher elevations. A new wastewater treatment plant and sewer system, which will soon be put into operation in two municipalities in the Boskovice region, will bring significant improvements. The builders at Metrostav DIZ are currently completing a treatment plant in Žďárná and a sewer system in the neighbouring municipality of Suchá. At the same time, a partner in the association, Dopravní stavby Brno, is finishing the sewer system in Žďárná. Until now, both municipalities had a single sewer system without subsequent wastewater treatment.

“Two of the most challenging moments in the construction work come to mind. During the construction of the deep foundations of the treatment plant, we encountered rock and had to mechanically remove it or smash it with demolition hammers in order to install the sheet pile walls. Considerable improvisation was then required for the concreting of the structures in the activation tanks. Due to the diameter of the arches, which was too low, it was not possible to use conventional formwork, but it was necessary to perform covering using various boards or even cut sewer pipes. On the other hand, our experienced team can handle such situations. For me personally, this is the fourth treatment plant,” explained Robert Škarecký, project manager at Metrostav DIZ.

Under the guidance of an experienced team of technicians, a member of the contractors’ association, Dopravní stavby Brno, built the sewer system for Žďárná municipality, including seven kilometres of the main line and three hundred and three connections. In conjunction with the sewer system’s implementation, a complete renovation of the municipal roads and a complete replacement of the water mains was carried out as part of a separate investment by the Water Supply and Sewer System Association of Towns and Municipalities and VODÁRENSKÁ AKCIOVÁ SPOLEČNOST. “One of the project’s main challenges was the complex geological and hydrogeological situation with rocks in the higher parts of the municipality and high groundwater levels in the parts around the watercourse. The work was also made difficult by the cramped conditions in the individual streets,” said Ondřej Přerovský, construction manager at Dopravní stavby Brno.

“The sewer system of the two municipalities and the construction of a treatment plant will significantly relieve the karst area, but we must not only go halfway. Similar investments will have to be made in the other municipalities above the the karst area,” said Jiří Crha, chairman of the Boskovice Water Supply and Sewer System Association of Towns and Municipalities, for the investor.

Metrostav DIZ’s builders are already putting the finishing touches to the work and are waiting for the connection of the treatment plant to a high voltage line, so that they can test the installed technologies. At the same time, they are repairing roads after excavations in the municipality of Suchý. The other partner in the association, Dopravní stavby Brno, had to change the route of one of the sewers compared to the project, so the deadline for completion of the work was put back by two months.

The new wastewater treatment plant in Žďárná has a capacity of 1,670 equivalent inhabitants, taking into account the location’s popularity with tourists. It has two activation tanks. In the normal mode, it is planned to operate them simultaneously, but for maintenance or repair purposes it will be possible to use only one of them. The treated water will go into Žďárná Stream. The site is being prepared for a photovoltaic power plant, which will help reduce the facility’s need to draw electricity from the grid. The length of the newly constructed sewer system in the municipalities of Suchý and Žďárná is almost 14 kilometres.

The construction project, called “Suchý, Žďárná – Wastewater Treatment Plant and Sewer System”, started at the end of 2022 and will be completed at the end of this November. The investor, Boskovice Water Supply and Sewer System Association of Towns and Municipalities, will pay CZK 250 m excluding VAT for it, but most of it will be covered by subsidies from the State Environmental Fund and also the South Moravian Region. The facility’s operator will be Vodárenská akciová společnost. The contractor for the construction work is an association of Metrostav DIZ and Dopravní stavby Brno.

Metrostav Group companies have already built or modernised dozens of sewage treatment plants and sewer systems throughout the country. Recent projects include the wastewater treatment plants in Žďár nad Sázavou, Stará Pace, Pelhřimov, Mnichovice and Prague-Ruzyně.

Contact details

Radim Mana
Metrostav Group Spokesman
Metrostav a.s. Koželužská 2450/4 180 00 Prague 8
T 266 019 715, M 601 110 376
radim.mana@metrostav.cz, www.metrostav.cz