On 11 September, Romania celebrated a significant milestone: the ceremonial commissioning of the two supply lines for the CL1 and CL2 projects.

These form the basis for the longest drinking water transport pipeline in the whole of Romania – 164 kilometres that will reliably supply towns, villages and rural regions with fresh water.

A ceremony in two parts

The ceremony began at the Odobești pumping station, the heart of the new supply system. High-ranking representatives of the region gathered there, including the presidents of the Cluj and Sălaj county councils, Alin Tișe and Dinu Iancu-Sălăjanu, as well as their deputies. Septimiu Țurcaș, president of the Regional Association for Infrastructure Development in the Someș-Tisa Basin, and Călin Neamțu, general director of Compania de Apă Someș SA, also took part.

In the presence of representatives from the press and the local WTE team, the hosts gave ceremonial speeches in which they emphasised the importance of the project for the region.

“This is not just a structure made of steel and concrete, but an investment in the future of the people of Cluj and Sălaj,” said one speaker, summarising the mood. Afterwards, journalists had the opportunity to ask questions and take photos.

In the second part, the celebration moved to the DaVinci Restaurant. The press was no longer present, but the circle of participants expanded: representatives of Compania de Apă Someș SA, members of the board of directors, mayors of the participating municipalities, engineers, construction managers, subcontractors and many other project participants exchanged ideas in a relaxed atmosphere. It was a moment to look back on the intensive joint work of the past years.

CL1 and CL2 – technology that connects

The two projects are like two arms of a large supply system:

• CL1 comprises a main pumping station in Cluj, which transports the water at high pressure through 95 kilometres of pipes to Zalău. The system is supplemented by a chlorination station for hygienic safety and an elevated tank that serves as a water reservoir. The pipes used – with diameters of up to DN700 and designed for high operating pressure – demonstrate the technical scale of this project.
• CL2 complements the system with a 70-kilometre-long transport pipeline made of ductile cast iron. It runs from Zalău to Șimleu Silvaniei and from Bălan to Cehu Silvaniei – a lifeline for numerous communities along the route. The construction was marked by challenges: material shortages, redesigns and overlaps with other infrastructure projects demanded a great deal of patience and improvisation from the team. But in the end, their efforts paid off.

Wide public response

The inauguration did not go unnoticed: in addition to official press releases from the Cluj County Council and Compania de Apă Someș, numerous media outlets reported extensively on the commissioning. Headlines ranged from “Cea mai lungă aducțiune de apă potabilă din România, pusă în funcțiune” (translated: “Romania’s longest drinking water pipeline put into operation”) to “Cluj marchează o premieră națională” (translated: “Cluj celebrates a national premiere”). It was repeatedly emphasised that this was a national premiere – and an investment financed by European funds.

Why this is important

CL1 and CL2 are creating a modern drinking water infrastructure that is not only technically impressive, but will also improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Clean water, a secure supply, future security – all this is contained in the 164 kilometres of pipeline that have now been put into operation.

These are projects that demonstrate what is possible when team spirit, technical expertise, flexibility in dealing with challenges and close cooperation with local partners come together. Two projects, one goal: water that reaches its destination.