Environment
Care for the environment is the continuous goal of SmVaK Ostrava: it builds new wastewater treatment plants and sewage discharge facilities, renews non-compliant sewers and reconstructs/modernises sewage pumping stations and wastewater treatment plants. SmVaK Ostrava owns the certification pursuant to ČSN EN ISO 14001:2005.
When choosing the suppliers, one of the qualification criteria is supplier’s compliance with ISO 14001 (the environment management system). Impacts of activities on the environment are governed by internal documents which specify details for assessment of environmental aspects and proving of compliance with regulations and laws.
SmVaK Ostrava has been maintaining and updating a registry of potential hazards which includes all activities that may affect the safety and/or environment. Every three months SmVaK Ostrava evaluates compliance of its activities with environmental laws and regulations.
The advanced water facilities are used not only for its main purpose: production of drinking water or treatment of wastewater. They also generate green electricity. The first small hydraulic power plant was installed in 1993 in the water treatment plant in Nová Ves near Frýdlant nad Ostravicí. SmVaK Ostrava operates now seven small hydraulic power plants – the last two plants (Krásné Pole and Podhradí) were put into operation in 2014.
Pursuant to the environmental programme, the plant burns biogas that develops during sludge stabilisation in wastewater treatment plants. It is burnt in cogeneration units which generate both electricity and heat in one unit. High efficiency is typical of the cogeneration units as they are able to use more than 90 per cent of the energy contained in the fuel. The cogeneration units which transform biogas into electricity have been installed in all big wastewater treatment plants - Opava, Karviná, Havířov, Frýdek-Místek, Třinec, Orlová, Nový Jičín and Český Těšín. A plan exists to install new cogeneration units.
Carbon footprint
Company decided to analyse completely impacts and greenhouse gas emissions from its business on the environment. It described its carbon trace pursuant to ČSN ISO 14064-1. And it will again take measures in order to reduce its carbon footprint. Such steps have proved to be efficient. In order to calculate a carbon footprint, SmVaK prepared guidelines the correctness and completeness of which was verified by an independent auditor, TÜV SÜD Czech s.r.o.