The Institute of Landscape Water Management, through ConWe s.r.o., a spin-off company of Brno University of Technology, has achieved another significant success. In the nationwide competition called the Municipal Project of the Year, now in its tenth year with a total of 99 municipalities participating, the project Constructed Treatment Wetland in the Municipality of Chlumětín won first place in the "Ecological Project of the Year" category!

So, what does an award-winning project like this look like? The wastewater treatment plant for Chlumětín was designed to ensure effective wastewater treatment for 250 connected residents. Additionally, it’s a constructed treatment wetland—a field of expertise that doc. Kriška and his colleagues at the Institute of Landscape Water Management have been dedicated to for years. However, the treatment plant in Chlumětín stands out for its remarkable feature: it operates entirely without an electrical power connection and achieves top-quality wastewater purification.

The unique aspect of this facility is that the municipality retained its original sewer system, which carries a high volume of extraneous water. Such water cannot be effectively treated using a standard mechanical-biological treatment plant. Thus, in this project, excessive stormwater flows had to be separated first, although they are still treated through a series of three stabilization tanks. The wastewater itself flows gravitationally through the treatment technology line, comprising several interconnected units, with a unique vertical vegetated filter as the core component.

After treatment, both the rainwater and wastewater continue to flow through an artificial wetland, integrating with the naturally wet landscape concept. This design has restored the landscape to its pre-collectivization state and created a habitat for specific plant life and wetland animals. An additional benefit is the water retention in the landscape. During the summer, significant evaporation of the treated wastewater into the atmosphere minimizes the residual pollution load on the watercourse.