Pumping stations and forcemain grid

The whole of Berlin is divided into water removal areas that are oriented to the course of rivers and shipping channels. The wastewater pipes transport the wastewater to wastewater pumping stations which pump it through a forcemain grid to the wastewater treatment plants.

The borders of the water removal areas are not identical with the district borders. The areas are oriented to the course of rivers and shipping channels and following the different elevations. The wastewater pipes always run to the lowest point of the water removal area and transport the wastewater to one of 147 wastewater pumping stations. From there it is pumped through a 1,127 km long forcemain grid to the wastewater treatment plants. The pumping stations are organised into 13 pumping station groups, each with one main pumping station. The service pumping stations and intermediate pumping stations are monitored and in some cases even remotely controlled from the main pumping stations. Many of these pumping stations are no longer actively staffed.

Main pumping stations pump the wastewater via pumping mains to the wastewater treatment plants. They are the control centres for the automated service, intermediate and rain water pumping stations which are monitored and remotely controlled from there. In the foreseeable future, all 147 pumping stations will be monitored and controlled from a single control room.

Service pumping stations pump the wastewater together with other main and service pumping stations via common pumping mains directly to the wastewater treatment plants.

Intermediate pumping stations, on the other hand, pump the wastewater up to higher neighbouring wastewater distribution pipe grids or directly into the intake chamber of another pumping station.

Rain water pumping stations drain the lowest points of tunnels in the high-speed rail and road system and pump rain water that flows together via the open tunnel ramps into a higher rain water wastewater pipe or into a river, canal or lake.