The Island of Neuwerk Replaces its Leaking Drinking Water Pipeline

Photos: Rehau

October 2010, Civil Engineering, Road Construction - The island of Neuwerk is the smallest of the German North Sea islands and is situated in the mouth of the Elbe River approx. 13 kilometres from the city of Cuxhaven. It can only be reached by a boat or by foot during low tide. Legally, Neuwerk belongs to the city of Hamburg. The old drinking water pipeline that was installed in 1968 had several large leaks and the water utility company estimated that more than 8 cubic metres of water were lost per day.

In addition to the 40 permanent residents of the island which covers 300 hectares, an average of 500 guests are accommodated during the summer months and during the high season daily water consumption reaches 100 cubic meters.

The faulty drinking water pipeline

The old drinking water pipeline installed in 1968 had several large leaks and the loss of water was estimated by the water utility company at over 8 cubic metres per day. The high loss rates drove the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) to replace the drinking water pipeline with a point load resistant pressure pipeline, "Rauprotect PE 100-RC", made by Rehau. The system was especially developed for a modern installation method of laying the pipeline in difficult soil conditions, requiring no sand bed. The high-quality yet flexible PE 100-PC material enables installation of the pipeline over large stretches – up to 4500 metres in this case – in  one continuous length.

The cable laying company Christoffers from Wiefelstede near Oldenburg modified its machine park so that the installation of the nearly continuous connection to the island could be realised within a shortest timeframe. Over the entire 9-kilometre stretch and an installation depth of 4 metres in the tidal mudflat, just a single pipeline connection had to be made at sea. With an installation speed of 1200 metres per hour, the project was completed within three working days. Such an extraordinary performance was only possible thanks to the efforts of the cable laying company and the pioneering pipe material. As the island of Neuwerk prepares to celebrate its 750th  anniversary, the new water supply system starts a new era.  Before 2009, the inhabitants of the island obtained their water supply from the wells of a former public trust, the Nordheimstiftung, but now the new pressure pipeline from Rehau made of resistant PE 100-PC will easily survive the next 100 years and ensure a reliable and loss-free supply of drinking water to the island.

The point load resistant pressure pipeline, "Rauprotect PE 100-PC", made by Rehau was developed specifically for a modern method of laying the pipeline in a difficult soil conditions, requiring no sand bed.