Clean water
Huts do not usually have sewage pipes running to the sewage plant, but there are other disposal systems. There are usually "reservoirs" (pits or wells) near the hut in which the (pits or wells) in which the solids are separated from the liquids, which are dispersed into the ground. The solid part is retained and, depending on the location, either disposed of on site or carried downstream.
Sewage management and the forms of pollution of this precious resource are often invisible. Rarely do people think about 'sewage' and sewage management systems in alpine huts. Think about it when you are at high altitude!
What can I do?
- Limit the amount of water you consume and know that the toilet is not a dustbin!
What you flush down the toilet, if it does not decompose, will end up clogging up the disposal system and will represent costs as well as pollution. - Use environmentally friendly shampoos and soaps!
These substances end up in the cesspit and, as they are dissolved in the water, will disperse with it into the surrounding environment.
What do hut managers do?
The products used to clean the huts also leak into the surrounding environment, as they are used together with the water. Hut managers pay attention to this aspect by choosing environmentally friendly products wherever possible.
Thanks to regular meetings, hut managers exchange experiences and keep up to date with the best products on the market.
What is the Land Department doing?
In the spring of 2020, half a million francs were allocated to renovate the waste water disposal systems of alpine huts in Ticino. The measure was taken following requests from several alpine huts and the awareness of how important this aspect is.
This means that several Ticino huts will be able to plan and implement the necessary remediation measures, the costs of which are often very high. The maintenance of water treatment plants is a particularly costly operation, both because of their remote location and because the high altitude reduces their performance. However, these measures are necessary to ensure technically perfect water drainage, as we are talking about areas that are particularly valuable in terms of nature and tourism.
