Royal Smals About To Complete Solingen Dredging Project

Royal Smals is putting finishing touches to the Sengbachtalsperre dredging project, Which is a water reservoir in the Wupper catchment basin that is used by Stadtwerke Solingen to provide drinking water for the city.

The Sengbachtalsperre As one of the oldest drinking water reservoirs in Germany, the Sengbachtalsperre holds 2.8 million cubic meters of water. Upstream of the Sengbachtalsperre dam is a smaller reservoir that has been built to prevent settling of sediments from the feeder streams to the main reservoir.

In the past two years, the water quality in this smaller reservoir has been negatively influenced by planktothrix rubescens, a form of blue algae, up to the point where the utility even had to temporarily halt the intake of drinking water.

Stadtwerke Solingen as principal issued a tender for removing 26,000 cubic meters of sediment and pumping it to a bund in order to prevent the formation of blue algae in the future.

Royal Smals submitted a bid and has subsequently been appointed contractor for this dredging project. The 8″ cutter suction dredger Pollux is now being used for the work.

According to the Dutch Water Sector, Royal Smals expects to complete the dredging project this spring.