Huben Wastewater Treatment Plant, Matrei in Osttirol, Tirol, Austria

Huben wastewater treatment plant is located in the Huben-Kienburg area of Matrei in Osttirol, in the Bezirk Lienz district of Tirol, Austria. The plant serves a population equivalent of 15,583, placing it in the medium agglomeration category under EU regulations. As an Austrian facility, Huben operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC, which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations of this size. The regulatory framework ensures appropriate treatment standards are met. The treated effluent from Huben is discharged into the local watershed, which ultimately drains into the Isel River, a tributary of the Drava River. The Drava flows through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary before joining the Danube, which empties into the Black Sea. This connection highlights the plant's role in protecting downstream aquatic ecosystems.

Huben's treated wastewater enters the Isel River, a tributary of the Drava River, which flows through the Eastern Alps and into the Pannonian Basin. The Drava is an ecologically significant river supporting diverse aquatic life, including fish species such as the Danube salmon. The plant's discharge contributes to the water quality of the Drava catchment, which ultimately reaches the Danube and the Black Sea.