The construction of huge water reservoirs would help to strengthen Debrecen’s drinking water supply

public procurement procedure has been launched by Tiszamenti Regionális Vízművek Zrt., under which the successful tenderer will, amongst other things, be required to construct two drinking water storage tanks, each with a capacity of 5,000 cubic metres. In addition to the reservoirs, the project also includes the construction of a control building and the installation of the mechanical, electrical and control systems required for their operation. The aim of the development is to improve the security of supply for Debrecen and the smaller settlements connected to the water supply network. The plans required for the tender were drawn up by Archilak Mérnöki Szolgáltató Kft..

The pools are being built at the highest point of the pipeline

According to the notice, the two circular, watertight reinforced concrete reservoirs will be situated at the highest point of the pair of pipelines running between the Keleti-főcsatorna waterworks in Balmazújváros and the Debrecen I reservoir. They will be filled by the waterworks’ existing network pumps, and the drinking water will then flow by gravity from the reservoirs to the Debrecen I waterworks.
A new waterworks will be built next to the reservoirs. The basins will be connected to an operations building, a chlorine gas dosing system, a sectioning shaft and a 250-cubic-metre settling tank. The successful tenderer will be responsible for constructing the plant’s external and internal roads, laying the on-site pipework, carrying out landscaping, and constructing the embankments and the boundary fence.

The new facility will be connected to the existing water network

The works must be carried out whilst ensuring an uninterrupted water supply to Debrecen and the surrounding catchment area. The contractor’s task is therefore not only to construct the reservoirs but also to connect the new facility to the existing transmission pipeline.
This will require the coordination of structural, hydraulic engineering, mechanical and electrical works. The successful contractor will also draw up the construction drawings, based on the available tender drawings and the water rights construction permit.

To ensure remote monitoring of the new plant, a communication link will be established with the control centre of the Keleti Main Canal waterworks, whilst the control systems will be connected to the process control systems of both the waterworks plant and the Szolnok centre. The contractor will be responsible for implementing the plant’s power supply, security systems and building electrical installations.

The protection of drinking water remains a top priority during construction work

Key requirements for the construction of storage tanks include watertightness and the appropriate design of surfaces coming into contact with drinking water. In addition to pipes, fittings and mechanical equipment, coatings, seals and installation materials must also comply with the regulations governing drinking water applications. Hygiene requirements apply from the construction stage onwards.
The watertightness of the completed tanks is verified by testing, followed by disinfection and accredited laboratory bacteriological testing. The contractor must, in cooperation with the operator and in a trial operation coordinated with the Keleti Main Canal waterworks, demonstrate that the new pair of reservoirs and the associated technology function properly as part of the existing system.