Genk (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Aquafin is upgrading a sewer for 10,000 residents in Zutendaal and Genk. Project manager Niels Hermans highlights urgency due to environmental risks, with construction expected to finish by mid-2025.
Aquafin is replacing an old sewer to help manage wastewater better for almost 10,000 people, mostly in Zutendaal and part of Genk. The old pipe is in bad shape and could be a danger to the environment, so they need to upgrade it. The new sewer will carry wastewater more efficiently to the Aquafin treatment plant in Genk, making sure everything works well and preventing leaks or spills that could hurt local nature.
How will Aquafin’s new sewer project benefit Genk’s residents?
It has been said that this project is important for keeping people healthy and meeting the needs of the communities. By building new infrastructure, Aquafin wants to make wastewater management better, which will help reduce pollution and improve the environment. Residents will get updates on when construction will happen and any temporary issues that might come up, showing that Aquafin cares about keeping everyone informed and involved.
According to Niels Hermans, the project manager at Aquafin, it’s urgent to replace the old sewer because it’s in bad shape and causing problems in managing wastewater, which could harm the environment. Since the sewer is deep under the industrial area, fixing it would create a lot of trouble for local businesses. To avoid this, Aquafin has decided to build a new sewer a few hundred meters away, right next to the old one, under a service road on the Gewestweg. This smart choice will help reduce issues for nearby businesses during construction. While the new sewer is being built, the old one will still be in operation, so there won’t be any interruptions in wastewater service. This step-by-step plan ensures a smooth upgrade for the communities, keeping the old system running until the new one is ready to take over.
The new sewer will be built 6 meters deep and will go under the Oosterring using a special drill that’s 2.5 meters wide, which is rare in Flanders. This drill is coming from Copenhagen and will be used in Austria after this project. The drilling will take place until mid-2025, and once it’s done, they will connect the old sewers to the new one and close the old outlet. There won’t be much trouble for residents since there aren’t many houses nearby, but local businesses might have some small issues, and transport will need to change a bit during the work.
