Pipe Jacking for the Emscher Interceptor attains Section Lengths in Excess of 1100 m
Since the mid-19th century the River Emscher in the German Ruhr District has been used for disposing of wastewater. In the early 1990s, it was decided to replace the existing open
wastewater system with a sewer system and to restore the River Emscher to its natural state. The major Emscher conversion project is divided up into a large number of individual schemes, with construction phase 30 being the biggest. By applying the pipe jacking method interlinking conduit sections with section lengths in excess of 1100 m are
produced.
Converting the Emscher and planning
the Emscher Interceptor
The 85-km long River Emscher flows right through the Ruhr District. It has its source to the east of Dortmund and flows into the Rhine near Dinslaken. The Emscher has been used to dispose of wastewater since industrialization began. The construction of underground sewer systems was not possible for a long time on account of subsidence caused by hard coal mining. The Emschergenossenschaft founded in 1899 thus created an efficient interceptor system for a catchment area of 865 km² through converting the river together with its...