Before 1994 Dortmund’s wastewater flowed untreated into the Emscher River. This included brewery waste and industrial discharge from Hoesch AG. The Klärlage Dortmund-Deusen changed all that.
The Klärlage Dortmund-Deusen is a wastewater treatment plant. It’s the first plant built as part of the Emscher system’s renovation. The Emschergenossenschaft operates this important facility. Its catchment area covers 4620 hectares.
Imagine the stench. Before the plant opened the smell of hydrogen sulfide from decaying brewery waste traveled miles. The Emscher River carried the smell far downstream. The Klärlage Dortmund-Deusen solved that problem.
Completed in 1994 the plant boasts two large silver digesters. They’re easily visible landmarks. The plant handles the wastewater of 140000 people. Its capacity is even greater. It can process the equivalent wastewater of 485000 people. This reflects the high proportion of industrial wastewater it cleans.
The Klärlage Dortmund-Deusen is part of the Route der Industriekultur. At night its digesters glow green. It’s a fascinating example of industrial history. In 2022 construction began on a fourth cleaning stage. This will remove trace substances. It’s the first Emscher plant with this advanced technology. The plant’s impact is far-reaching. It cleaned up the Emscher River. It improved the Dortmund environment considerably. The Klärlage Dortmund-Deusen is a testament to progress. It transformed a smelly river into a cleaner one.