Pilsen Water Treatment Plant

History of the plant

Pilsen’s origins of supplying water on a large scale date back to the 16th century. It was then that the city’s first water treatment facility was built on Pražská Street. This facility supplied the city with water from the Radbuza River. The building’s original Water Tower still stands to this day. When Škoda Works was completed at the end of the 19th century, a water distribution system was built from the Homolka reservoir, where the water treatment plant is still located today.

Together with the construction of the drinkable water distribution system, Pilsen’s sewer system was also built, as the original, with its stone sewer walls, no longer sufficed. All subsequent grey water was then poured out into Pilsen’s rivers without any attempt to clean it. With the industrial development of the city after WWII, the water quality of the Berounka River became nearly disastrous. Thus, it was necessary to build a wastewater treatment plant.

Commentated tours

The Pilsen Water Treatment Plant regularly holds commentated tours of both facilities. While touring the plant at the Homolka reservoir, you will see the so-called “Chabal filtration system” from the 1920s as well as today’s first-rate technology and much, much more. Then, while visiting the wastewater treatment plant, you can follow along with the entire cleaning process, starting with catching any pollutants on the grate, and ending with pouring the newly clean water back into the Berounka River. Both tours include an educational video about our water’s journey to your house or, oppositely, back to the river. Commentary is provided by the actual water treatment plant employees, meaning you’ll be learning from only the best tour guides possible.