MAXIMA – a regional wastewater treatment system

Just like in the rest of the country, the wastewater infrastructure in southwestern Skåne is now aging and in need of renovation, while the region is experiencing population growth. At the same time, treatment requirements are becoming increasingly stringent, and society as a whole needs to adapt to climate change. Such an expansion and modernisation of the wastewater treatment system is difficult for a single municipality to manage on its own.

With MAXIMA, VA SYD is taking on this challenge by investing in a regional wastewater treatment system that delivers greater overall benefits at a lower cost. The MAXIMA infrastructure initiative is a joint solution for future sustainable and robust wastewater treatment, enabling more people to live, work, and thrive in the region.

This is MAXIMA

The MAXIMA wastewater treatment system consists of several parts: a new Sjölunda wastewater treatment plant in Malmö with new outfall pipelines into the Öresund, a new large pumping station at Sjölunda, a wastewater tunnel beneath Malmö, a wastewater tunnel from Lund, and a pressurised transfer pipe from Borgeby. The system is designed to meet the wastewater treatment needs of the municipalities of Burlöv, Lomma, Lund, and Malmö, as well as to receive wastewater from parts of the municipalities of Staffanstorp and Svedala.

The benefits of a shared solution 

Expansion and modernisation involve high costs and advanced technologies requiring new competence. This would be difficult for one municipality to manage by itself. Water knows no municipal boundaries and with a shared wastewater treatment system, we generate greater benefit at a lower cost.    

To allow the community to understand in what ways the infrastructure investment creates benefits and meets needs, VA SYD has formulated and decided on four community benefits, driving the planning of the regional wastewater treatment system. Read more about the benefits here

The name MAXIMA carries history into the future

Throughout history, there are many examples of construction projects that have enabled expansion, growth, and at the same time contributed to a more sustainable society. One of the world’s oldest sewer systems was built by Roman engineers more than two thousand years ago. The system is called Cloaca Maxima (latin for “the greatest sewer”), and parts of it are still in use today.

Through the name MAXIMA, we emphasise the connection to the long-standing pursuit of sustainability, progress, and efficiency that has shaped development across the centuries. It also reminds us of the power of engineering to enable both expansion and advancement throughout history.