The Partnership and the Cleaner That Is a Headache for the Congregation Today

Partnerstvo in čistilna naprava, ki je danes glavobol za občino The municipal wastewater treatment plant operated by Vipap has become a critical issue for the municipality of Krško, with its continued operation hanging in the balance due to financial and legal complications. The facility, once a successful collaboration between the public authority and a private company, now faces uncertainty after Vipap entered liquidation proceedings. The situation highlights the challenges of maintaining essential infrastructure when one party in the partnership becomes insolvent. Construction of the treatment plant began in phases, with key components completed in 2003, 2007, and 2009. The final phase included the connection of municipal wastewater from Krško and surrounding areas. The entire system has a capacity of 180,000 population equivalents, of which 16,000 are designated for municipal wastewater in Krško and its vicinity. It serves multiple locations including Krško, Leskovec, Veniše, Velika vas, Gorenja vas, Drnovo, Brege, Vihre, Mrtvice, Spodnji Stari Grad, Stari Grad, Dolenja vas, Narpel, and Žadovinek. The plant also includes a station for the collection of sludge from livestock farms. The operation of the facility is more than just a physical structure; it involves a complex network of electrical substations, computer systems, laboratories, ventilation, pumps, sedimentation tanks, sludge handling equipment, and discharge into the Sava River. A June decision by the Inspectorate outlined individual technical units and their locations, as these components are owned by different companies and spread throughout the former industrial complex. Due to this complexity, the system cannot simply be transferred through the sale of keys alone. Technical staff, laboratory monitoring of parameters, management of electrical and mechanical equipment, emissions control, and solutions for sludge disposal are all required. Documents from the Inspectorate confirm that the municipality and Vipap have been managing the relationship since the beginning of the century. A 2002 agreement on joint investment in the construction of the treatment plant was followed by service agreements, and in 2010, an agreement on joint use and operation of the wastewater treatment plant for the municipality. This agreement also defined procedures in case Vipap ceased treating municipal wastewater, requiring the company to enable the municipality to perform the public service. This model proved practical for the municipality, allowing it to integrate its sewage system into a large industrial plant instead of building and operating a separate centralized treatment plant. Vipap managed the system, while the municipal concessionaire Kostak had an agreement with it regarding cost coverage for the cleaning of municipal wastewater. However, the company soon faced difficulties that affected the treatment plant itself. In January 2026, Elektro Celje announced the disconnection of electricity to Vipap due to unpaid obligations. From the minutes and written record of an oral decision obtained, it appears that the inspector estimated that the disconnection of electricity would halt the operation of the treatment plant. The consequence could have been the release of untreated municipal wastewater into the Sava River, posing a danger to both the environment and human health. Due to the immediate threat, the process led to an expedited procedure and the issuance of an oral decision. The city of Krško was ordered to ensure the continuation of wastewater treatment at the Vipap plant. Vipap was ordered to allow the municipality to manage and operate all necessary equipment for the cleaning of municipal water. The obligation of the municipality was set until the connection of a new treatment plant at Vrbni. A complaint against the decision did not prevent its enforcement. Thus, the Inspectorate ordered the municipality to carry out the public service already in January, when the company was still before the official liquidation, but faced the threat of stopping key infrastructure.