Treating used water
We all use water. More than 400,000 residents and businesses in our area account for a volume of water equivalent to that used by another 45,000 people. The water authority treats that water. Each year, this amounts to between 50 and 60 million cubic metres of water. That’s 50 to 60 billion litres.
How do we clean used water?
Noorderzijlvest Water Authority has eleven wastewater treatment plants. We have over 380 kilometres of pipes and 110 pumps to transport water from homes and businesses to the treatment plants. At the treatment plants, we treat that water with natural methods. Once the water is clean, we discharge it back into surface water bodies, such as the Eems canal or the Van Starkenborgh canal.
The treatment process
We transport wastewater via sewer pumping stations and transport pipes to one of the eleven wastewater treatment plants. More information about the steps in the treatment process:
Individual Wastewater Treatment (IBA)
Households without a sewer connection must have their own treatment facility. Before they can discharge used water into surface water, they must report this to the water authority. For more information and to report an incident:
What do we do with the waste?
Part of the waste is sewage sludge. This sludge is digested in the sludge digestion facilities at our treatment plants. During digestion, part of the sludge is biologically broken down and converted into biogas. We use this biogas to generate electricity and heat. The sludge remaining after fermentation is dried by a company. The dried sludge is used as fuel for power plants and cement kilns.