“Public Services Day” will take place for the seventh time on June 23rd. The current energy policy situation as well as the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the corona pandemic have posed and continue to pose numerous challenges. They show how important a stable basic supply of electricity and water is.
On Borkum, the basic drinking water supply comes from two freshwater lenses, which go down to a depth of 60 meters after layers of sand and clay. Rainwater is stored in the freshwater lens, which is “filled” exclusively by precipitation, and is then naturally pre-cleaned by seeping into the fine sand of the dunes. The water is ultimately pumped from the two drinking water production areas in Waterdelle and Ostland to the waterworks in Hindenburgstrasse and Ostland via more than 40 wells. That's up to 2.300 m³ of water per day, around 850.000 m³ per year. “We have approval from the Leer district for up to 1,2 million m³,” adds Olaf Look, head of network operations for electricity and water in the municipal utilities segment of Nordseeheilbad Borkum GmbH. To ensure that supplies are secured for the coming decades, a new waterworks is currently being built in Ostland. The structure should be completed by autumn 2024 and go into operation parallel to the “old” waterworks. “The old factory was built in 1965 and is now showing its age. It still serves its purpose, but the building structure is now deteriorating and a drinking water supply cannot be guaranteed for much longer. They also no longer meet today's standards. A waterworks is said to have a lifespan of around 50 years,” explains Look. The island already has above-average drinking water quality, confirms Look. “You could drink the raw water from the earth without any problems. There are no health risks, only the cloudiness and coloring of the raw water would mean we would not be able to comply with the drinking water regulations without treatment.
To ensure that the planned schedule for the new construction of the waterworks can be adhered to, six to eight people work on the construction site every day. Producing the concrete on site saves time. Around 180 m³ have already been processed. Olaf Look: “The route to the Ostland is a busy route, especially in the months with a high number of guests. We would lose a lot of time and the concrete could harden on the way.” What are the prospects for the coming months? “The foundation is already in place, 48 construction piles are anchored 20 meters deep in the ground and filled with cement. The basement floor is finished and the first walls are already being poured. The roof should be built by the end of the year and then the interior work can begin,” Olaf Look is optimistic about the coming months.