High supply security for drinking water

EVN, together with its subsidiaries EVN Wasser and WTE, is active in the provision of drinking water supplies and wastewater purification. In this way, the company plays an important role in maintaining an intact water cycle.

In the area of drinking water supplies, EVN Wasser operates a 2,483 km pipeline network in Lower Austria which is fed from 104 wells in protection zones covering 362 ha. This network supplied 503,900 persons, directly and indirectly, with 27.4 million m³ of drinking water in 2013/14. EVN Wasser handles cross-regional and local water supplies and constructs and operates wells and transport pipelines. It also ensures the continuous functioning of the water network, for example through the operation of 148 pressure regulation stations, as well as treatment and routine repairs. Last but not least, EVN Wasser improves the water quality in its supply area through natural filter plants. EVN is planning further investments over the coming years to protect the security of drinking water supplies in a quality that reflects spring water. The EVN subsidiary WTE is also active beyond Austria’s borders and provides fresh drinking water every day to more than one million people in countries like Russia, Montenegro and Germany.

IIn the area of wastewater disposal, WTE treated roughly 155.0 million m3 of wastewater in 2013 with a mean purification performance of 89%¹⁾. That represents service for roughly 1.5 million residents. The sewage sludge from this process is used for agricultural applications and compost production, deposited in a landfill or used to generate heat. WTE has planned and built 100 wastewater treatment plants since its founding, and a further nine plants for 2.6 million residents are currently under construction. This subsidiary is also responsible for operations at 22 of these plants. WTE’s plants purify the wastewater from approx. 18.8 million people and return it to the water cycle.

1) Average value over the parameters for chemical oxygen requirements, biological oxygen requirements, total nitrogen and total phosphorous. The per cent value means that 89% of the pollutants were removed.