Awwal 19, 1432, April 22, 2011 SPA - The National Water Company (NWC) of Saudi Arabia received the Reuse Project of the Year Award for the Jeddah Sewage Lake Clean-up Project as it was the most significant achievement in the year. NWC took the responsibility in May 2010 for the removal, treatment and reuse of nearly 10 million m3 of wastewater and sludge from a lake outside Jeddah that had been used as a dumping ground for more than a decade. Majority of the cleanup was accomplished in a 3-months' time period using technologies and approaches that maximized the beneficial uses of the water and sewage related residuals. The work included the construction of 60,000m3/d of on-site wastewater treatment capacity, as well as a 25km pipeline to link it to further capacity at Jeddah airport. The remaining sediment from the lake is being dried and treated with minerals to form the base layer for an attractive park/wilderness area to be housed within a huge mixed-use development planned for the lake region. The treated water was used for irrigation, said the Global Water Intelligence published in a report on its website. The award was presented on April 18 by former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan at a gathering of industry leaders during the Global Water Summit in Berlin, Germany. The annual Global Water Intelligence's Global Water Awards recognize excellence in the international water industry. The Jeddah sewage lake was formed in the 1990s to temporarily receive the wastewater and sludge from the growing municipality of Jeddah. For 15 years, a major portion of the City's sewage was dumped into the lake. Significant efforts were underway for many years to provide treatment for the lake water and then to provide an alternative to dumping wastewater into the lake. "The National Water Company's rapid action and innovative solutions to address an overwhelming environmental problem is protecting the future health and well being of people and environment of Jeddah," says Bill Kreutzberger, CH2M HILL Project Manager for Jeddah lake clean-up. Executive Chairman and Managing Director of NWC, Loay bin Ahmad Sa'ad Al-Musallam, accredited in statement to The Saudi Press Agency, the NWC's achievement to The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in international arenas and to the synergy and dedication of NWC staff, who emphasized the ability of the Saudi youth on the implementation of national projects according to a global standards.
