New technical standards for resources-oriented sanitation systems in Germany

The main objective of the new DWA Standard A-272 on "Principles for planning and implementation of new sanitation systems" is the provision of a systemic approach for planning and implementation of resources-oriented sanitation systems (which are named "new sanitation systems" in Germany). The standard shows the benefits of resources oriented sanitation systems by comparing them to conventional systems where all wastewater is collected and treated together and finally discharged. The main target groups of the standard are persons and organizations that are involved in and responsible for planning of water infrastructure, i.e. planners, technology providers, authorities, etc. The standard describes principles of resources-oriented sanitation systems and specific boundary conditions under which these systems can be especially beneficial. These specific boundary conditions include (among others): new settlements, areas with demographic Changes (population decline) and/or water stress (limited availability of drinking water), and existing infrastructure that needs to be rehabilitated. Due to the large number of possible technological solutions, the DWA standard does not provide detailed dimensioning for single technologies. However, it provides some fundamental data required for planning, e.g. the flow and concentrations of the separated waste streams.