2024-08-17 01:11:49
- It will be placed 4 meters below the bottom of the lake
- The renovation started with BGN 22 million from the state budget
The repair of the pipeline under Lake Varna will cost almost BGN 22 million. The money is provided by the state budget. The Mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev, personally inspected the site where the construction works are starting.
“With the implementation of this project, the issue with the pipe under the lake will be completely resolved,” said Kotsev.
The problem with the removal of waste water through Lake Varna began in August 2019, when a passing ship broke the pipe with its anchor, because it was not placed 3 m below the seabed, as it was designed.
The subsequent repair did not solve the problem in the long term, and lawsuits are currently pending against the contractor.
Activities started in August and are expected to be completed in early 2025. For more than 220 working days, about 820 meters of the waste water pipe will be replaced, which will be laid 4 meters below the bottom of the lake.
The pipe is already delivered and welded in place. It is made of high density polyethylene and has significantly better mechanical performance compared to the damaged one.
With the completion of the activities, it will be connected to the treatment plant in the village of Topoli.
The pipe will be additionally strengthened with the so-called concrete mattresses to protect it from passing ships.
“Laying the new pipeline into the lake will finally solve the problem of safe sewage transfer. Over the years, there have been incidents of the pipeline bursting and sewage leaking.
This time the pipe is of a higher grade, will be laid deeper and will be much better protected from mechanical damage. All this reduces to a minimum the risk of future eco-crises in the area,” Mayor Blagomir Kotsev said during the inspection.
This is the last phase of the deepening of Lake Varna, after it the channel will be 13.5 m deep, so much larger ships will be able to enter the ports inside the lake. Experts from RZI will take regular samples.