Wastewater tunnels south and north of Sjölunda wastewater treatment plant
Wastewater tunnels under Malmö and from Lund addresses the challenges of population growth and an obsolete wastewater system, also enabling protection of the local water environment. As a result, MAXIMA allows more people to live and work in the region.
What is overflow discharge?
If a wastewater treatment system is unable to handle the volumes of water that can occur during, for example, heavy rain, the water must be let through anyway – so-called overflow discharge. If a pumping station or some other part of the facility overflows, important equipment can be destroyed, potentially causing major problems and costs. Overflow means that untreated wastewater is discharged into nearby waterways, such as Malmö's canals or the Öresund.
Read more about overflow discharge here
Tunnels – an increasingly common solution
In densely populated communities in regions with strong population growth, wastewater tunnels are becoming increasingly common. In the Nordic countries, wastewater tunnels already exist or are planned in cities like Copenhagen, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Oslo and Helsinki. In Copenhagen, tunnels are drilled using the same technology planned for MAXIMA and in comparable geological conditions.
