Sterner delivers a new wastewater treatment plant to Harstad Municipality
- 10. oktober 2023
Sterner has been selected as the supplier for the upgrade of the Bergsodden Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Harstad, where Sterner will assist the municipality in upgrading the existing facility to meet the treatment requirements set by the regional authorities.
The current facility does not meet the required standard for discharge and has received a directive for improvement from the authorities.
There are two significant sources of wastewater in the area that necessitate the upgrade: dairy discharge from Tine and drinking process discharge from the water works in Harstad, HVBA.
Pilot Project
-Considering the directive to improve, we conducted a pilot project to ensure that the treatment technology we implement in the upgraded facility will handle this type of wastewater for many years to come, says Elin Nikolaisen, project manager for Harstad Municipality.
The pilot project was performed in collaboration with Sterner, testing chemicals to meet the treatment requirements. Nikolaisen refers to the pilot project as having shown very positive results, allowing the municipality to specify the required treatment technology in the tender that was issued.
The contract for the upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant was awarded to the water treatment company Sterner.
-We are pleased that Sterner won the tender for this facility. We have already established a good working relationship with the company and have gained valuable experience from the pilot project. We are confident that they will deliver a treatment process that meets all the requirements, says Nikolaisen.
Extensive Experience
Sterner is a Norwegian company with over 30 years of experience in water treatment technology. The company operates in four main markets, providing not only wastewater treatment but also drinking water treatment and water treatment for well boats and the aquaculture industry.
«This is an important project for us at Sterner, says Jan Munkvold, Sales Manager for Water Treatment at Sterner. – We are committed to ensuring that the water we borrow from nature is returned just as clean as when we took it, worldwide. The Bergsodden Wastewater Treatment Plant is an important project contributing to this goal. We applaud the increasing focus on emissions and are pleased that Harstad Municipality is taking steps to meet treatment requirements.»
Local Partnerships
Sterner has a turnkey contract for the process delivery to the new facility, while Harstadbygg has a turnkey contract for all building-related work. MOMEK will handle the installation of the process delivery.
-Working together with good local partners on construction and installation, this will be a robust and well-functioning wastewater treatment plant, and an important reference project for Sterner. It’s also special to me that we are delivering wastewater treatment to my hometown, adds Munkvold.
Doubling in Size
In addition to more than doubling the footprint of the wastewater treatment plant, the treatment technology is much more complex than its predecessor.
The current treatment process will be replaced by a new one consisting of four stages. Incoming water from the pipeline system will be collected in an internal pump sump. From there, the water is pumped to the first stage of the process, where solid debris, sand, and grease are removed.
The water will then be directed to a buffer tank, which ensures homogeneity prior to chemical dosing.
-This is where the new process starts to differ from the old one, explains Munkvold. – In this stage, chemicals and microbubbles of air are added to allow the remaining particles in the water to agglomerate and form larger particles that can float to the surface in specially designed tanks, creating a sludge blanket. This sludge can then be gently scraped from the surface and pumped to the final part of the process, where it is dewatered in a press screw and collected in containers for disposal.
Improved Water Quality in Bergsvågen
The treated wastewater from the facility is discharged into Bergsvågen, and the new treatment technology will significantly improve the water quality in the area.
-This is a stable and proven technology that will ensure that the wastewater remains within the future requirements. The discharge into Bergsvågen will be well within the specified limits, assures Munkvold.
Commencement of Trial Operations in June 2024
Bergsodden WWTP receives wastewater from Tine at Sama, Blåberghaugen, Åsegarden to Bergseng, and Berg.
Work on the new facility is already underway, and the new plant is expected to commence trial operations in June 2024.
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