To prevent microbial contamination, the Talschaft Entlebuch waste water treatment plant in central Switzerland has installed a medium pressure, closed-pipe UV disinfection system from Berson.

To prevent microbial contamination of the Kleine Emme river, the Talschaft Entlebuch waste water treatment plant (WWTP) in central Switzerland has installed a medium pressure, closed-pipe UV disinfection system from Berson. The Kleine Emme river is popular with bathers in the summer months, but local residents had become increasingly concerned about poor water quality. This came to a head in 2002 when a number of bathers said they became ill after swimming in the river.

It was suspected that the wastewater outflow from the WWTP was causing microbiological contamination of the water, but no direct link was ever confirmed.

However, the operators of the plant decided that discharges should be disinfected as a precautionary measure.

After considering several options, medium pressure UV disinfection was chosen as the most suitable method.

UV is a clean technology that kills all water-borne pathogens, including Cryptosporidium, without resorting to chemicals such as chlorine.

Berson medium pressure, closed-pipe UV systems are compact and can usually be installed within existing pipework.

The only regular maintenance required is replacing the UV lamps after approximately 8000 operational hours, a simple procedure that can easily be carried out by on-site staff.

The UV system at Talschaft Entlebuch was installed in 2004 and is the first installation of its kind in Switzerland.

It has a capacity of 306m3/hr and is expected to operate during the summer months when bathers use the river.

Based in the Netherlands, Berson UV-techniek is a world leader in closed-pipe UV technology for a wide range of applications, including wastewater and drinking water treatment, dechlorination, ozone removal and TOC reduction.

The company has over 30 years' experience in the design, development, manufacture and distribution of UV systems worldwide.