Fluvius is installing a temporary above-ground sewer system in the centre of Hasselt
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Utility company Fluvius has installed a temporary above-ground sewer system in the Molenpoort, in the heart of Hasselt. This is necessary to allow the sewer pipe running beneath the Molenpoort to be cleared. Virtually all the wastewater from Hasselt’s city centre passes through this culvert.
The pipe lies no less than 8 metres deep beneath Molenpoort and is approximately 140 metres long, 2 metres wide and 1.2 metres high. The pipe needs to be cleaned because, over the years, more and more grease deposits have built up, largely as a result of malfunctioning grease traps at the numerous catering establishments in the city centre. In some places, we also found rubble and other construction waste, and the diameter is now barely 40 cm where it should normally be 1.70 metres.
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To carry out this exceptional work, Fluvius constructed a temporary above-ground bypass using pressure pipes. The incoming wastewater is diverted into the culvert via these pipes, so that further on it can re-enter the sewerage system and flow towards the wastewater treatment plant. This allows a specialist contractor to descend into the culvert to clean it. The works are expected to take around 12 working days. If it transpires that, during heavy rain, the temporary bypass is unable to handle all the incoming wastewater, the works may have to be suspended. On the other hand, the works may be completed earlier if there proves to be less sludge and encrusted grease in the culvert than expected.
Bart Wouters