Totalphütte: alpine landscape with specific requirements for wastewater treatment
The Totalphütte was originally a site hut for Vorarlberger Illwerke AG and served as accommodation for the construction workers building the Lünersee lake dam. Since 1964, the Austrian Alpine Club has been running the hut as a mountain refuge. Following a number of refurbishments and the reconstruction of the hut – it was severely damaged by a dust avalanche in 2019 – it has since become a popular destination for walkers and those conquering the Rätikon’s highest peak, Schesaplana, at 2,965 m.
Wastewater treatment remains an important issue even in high-alpine environments. A HUBER Micro Strainer ROTAMAT® Ro9 screen is in use at the Totalphütte. It treats the wastewater daily from up to 1,000 day visitors, plus a further 150 people who stay overnight at the hut.
Seasonal operation presents challenges
Due to the short operating period of the sewage treatment plant, keeping the plant running smoothly and reliably is always a major challenge. This makes the pre-treatment of the wastewater all the more important before it is fed into the biological treatment stage.
Furthermore, ease of operation of the plant’s machinery is of great importance. The plant must be commissioned at the start of the season in July with just a few simple steps and then decommissioned again in September after a short but intensive period of operation. A straightforward start-up and shutdown procedure was therefore a prerequisite for the plant operator.
During our conversation, the hut tenant expressed her delight at how smoothly the entire project had been carried out. She also highlighted that the workload at the sewage treatment plant has reduced a lot since the new HUBER screening system was installed.
An efficient solution for mountain regions and similar areas
The HUBER Micro Strainer ROTAMAT® Ro9 is simple and flexible to use and easy to transport to any location. At the Totalphütte, it has been reliably reducing the load on the biological treatment system since its installation, as the screen thoroughly removes foreign matter. Thus, a simple helicopter flight has made it possible to clean the water resources in the mountains sustainably and protect the environment.
