Vienna main sewage treatment plant: 45 years of environmental protection and energy innovation!

Vienna main sewage treatment plant: 45 years of environmental protection and energy innovation!

Simmering, Österreich - On June 30, 2025, the main sewage treatment plant in Simmering celebrated a remarkable anniversary: ​​for 45 years it has been ensuring the environmentally friendly preparation of sewage. The facility was opened by Leopold Gratz, the then mayor of Vienna, and has been the largest environmental protection project of the second Republic of Austria since then. The area of ​​the system, which is even larger than the Vatican, is particularly impressive.

Since its commissioning, the sewage treatment plant has cleaned impressive 8.7 trillion liters of wastewater - this corresponds more than the double volume of Lake Attersee! The city of Vienna has invested around 750 million euros in the expansion and renovation of this important facility in the past 45 years, which all wastewater from the Viennese population accomplished with a capacity of around 6,000 liters per second.

environmental and climate protection in focus

The climate and environmental city council Jürgen Czernohorszky emphasized the importance of the sewage treatment plant for the protection of Viennese waters and the environment at the anniversary celebration. It is not just the mechanical-biological wastewater treatment that is in the foreground here; Innovative approaches such as the wastewater monitoring implemented since 2020, which provides important information for health authorities, must also be mentioned. This model even has a role model for all of Europe.

Another significant step in the history of the sewage treatment plant was the commissioning of a large-scale heat pump system in 2023, which with the cleaned waste water generates district heating for over 100,000 households-a step that raises the system to a veritable "eco-power plant". These investment technologies are part of a larger trend in the sewage industry that aims to transform sewage treatment plants from energy consumer to hybrid energy generator and recycling provider. This pursues the goal of making all raw and valuable materials contained in the waste water.

technological progress and more

The development of innovative technologies in municipal wastewater treatment is supported by projects such as the AR-HES-B project. This aims to position specific sewage treatment plants as interfaces in national energy and fabric exchange. Sewage treatment plants are currently the largest electricity consumers in Austrian municipalities, which underlines the need for new strategies to increase renewable energy resources. The sewage treatment plant in Simmering is decisive here and sets standards in the sustainable use of water resources.

A current film and the publication "Clear Text History" offer exciting insights into the historical development of this important facility. You can be found on the Ebswien website and show how the main sewage treatment plant has developed over the years into a central component of Vienna's environmental protection.

This is how it should be noted: The main sewage treatment plant in Simmering has achieved a lot and will continue to play a crucial role in the field of environmental protection and energy efficiency in the future. The combination of the latest technology and a clear focus on sustainability makes this facility a model, not only for Vienna, but also beyond.

For more information, visit the corresponding pages: Meinbezirk.at href = "https://presse.wien.gv.at/presse/2025/09/czernohorszky-wiens-klaeranlagen-schuetzt-45-jelt-und-klima" class = "source_2"> wien.gv.at , and sustainable wirtschafts.at .