Students from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria Wels campus ‘sorted out’ the technical infrastructure at an Alpine Club hut

Peter Dissauer, who oversees four mountain huts operated by the Wels section of the Austrian Alpine Club, invited students from the Bio and Environmental Engineering (BUT) degree program based at the Wels Campus to contribute their analytical skills to restarting the wastewater treatment plant at the Almtalerhaus in the municipality of Grünau im Almtal.

The goal of this project was to assess the operating condition and cleaning performance of a small biological wastewater treatment system at the Almtalerhaus. Under the guidance of their FH professors, the students analyzed water quality and identified potential optimization measures to improve wastewater treatment at the hut.

In addition to FH professors Gerhard Hampejs and Robert Burgholzer, BUT graduate and now licensed engineering consultant Mathias Heschl was also involved in the project.

A shared outdoor experience as extra motivation for the students”

“For a project like this, motivating the students was easy,” says Gerhard Hampejs from the BUT degree program. As Hampejs explains, the system is “small and isolated — basically in an island-like setting.” “In this beautiful spot in the middle of the forest, right next to a crystal-clear mountain stream, the purpose of the treatment plant becomes obvious all by itself,” he adds.

For Peter Dissauer from the Alpine Club, the cooperation is a “win‑win situation.” The hut benefits from impulses for technical and organizational improvements, while the students gain valuable hands‑on experience in an amazing natural environment. Dissauer also has a personal connection to the Bio and Environmental Engineering program: “My son studied in this program himself, and it paved the way for a successful career in industry.”

“Treatment performance still has room for improvement”
The measurements clearly show that the wastewater treatment plant at the Almtalerhütte needs improvement — especially when it comes to nitrogen compounds. “To provide a reliable assessment of the system’s overall performance, regular sampling and analysis would need to be carried out over a longer period of time,” explain the experts from the BUT degree program. Based on this data, targeted measures could then be developed to increase efficiency and sustainably improve water quality.

Open House offers a look inside the project – continuation planned
The Austrian Alpine Club plans to continue its collaboration with the BUT program and its students. As hut manager and the person responsible for the wastewater systems, Peter Dissauer points to further necessary improvements at the Almtalerhütte — and especially to the planned construction of a wastewater treatment plant for the Welser Hütte on the Großer Priel. At both the Welser Hütte and the Püringer Hütte, the hut tenants have completed the official wastewater treatment operator training course and therefore carry responsibility for the systems.

Before that, however, the FH Upper Austria Open House on March 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. offers the perfect opportunity to get an in‑depth look at the completed project at the BUT info booth. For the BUT team, it’s “the ideal chance to show prospective students how we connect theory and hands‑on practice in our program.”

(AI-generated translation)