Ruhleben sewage treatment plant, Berlin

The Ruhleben sewage treatment plant in Berlin-Spandau is to be expanded with a new filter system as well as a UV system by 2028. The new technology will ensure that even cleaner water can be discharged into the Spree and Havel rivers in the future. For the waterproof construction and securing of the nine construction pits, PORR Spezialtiefbau Berlin is manufacturing 10,000 m² of sealing slabs as well as 4,870 m of temporary strand anchors on behalf of Echterhoff Bau GmbH. The work will be carried out in several phases until 2027. Two large sub-pits have already been handed over on schedule.

The second largest of the six state-owned sewage treatment plants treats the wastewater of around 1.6 million Berliners. Two new plants are to further improve water quality in the future, so that the water can be discharged into Berlin's two major rivers, the Havel and the Spree, all year round. A flocculation filtration system is used to remove phosphate from the water, thus reducing the risk of algae forming in the rivers during the summer months. A further UV disinfection system is used to inactivate microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa.

Completion date secured by working in two shifts

The construction pits are divided into nine sections by sheet pile wall boxes. The sizes of the 5 to 8-metre-deep sub-pits range from 100 m² to approx. 2,330 m².

Watch our project video* :                                                                                                                           PORR Germany . Ruhleben sewage treatment plant, jet-grouted sole

As they are around 2.7 metres below the groundwater level, they must be waterproofed with a horizontal sealing slab. In total, the PORR special civil engineering team will construct 10,000 m² of jet-grouted soles by the end of the project. The contract also includes the back-anchoring of the sheet pile walls with 4,870 m of temporary strand anchors.

‘We have already worked successfully and trustingly with Echterhoff in the past. So far, we have been able to meet the high demands for adherence to deadlines and quality of execution in this project as well, particularly with regard to the impermeability of the jet-grouting base. The tight schedule for the first two construction pits made it necessary to work in day and night shifts, which we were able to do thanks to our flexible capacities with two jet-grouting units,’ says PORR project manager Lars Erbe.

* (Videoplattform Vimeo)