Ried und Umgebung Wastewater Treatment Plant, Tumeltsham, Oberösterreich

Ried und Umgebung is a wastewater treatment plant located in Tumeltsham, a municipality in the Bezirk Ried district of Oberösterreich, Austria. The facility serves a population equivalent of 42,000, classifying it as a medium-sized agglomeration under Austrian and EU regulations. As a plant operating within the European Union, Ried und Umgebung is subject to the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). This directive requires secondary treatment for agglomerations between 10,000 and 150,000 population equivalent, with more stringent tertiary treatment in sensitive areas. The plant's design and operation align with these regulatory standards to protect water quality. The treated effluent from the plant is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Danube River basin. The Danube is a major European river flowing into the Black Sea, supporting diverse aquatic ecosystems and providing water for agriculture, industry, and recreation. The plant plays a key role in maintaining the ecological health of this transboundary watershed.

The plant discharges into the Innviertel region's water network, which feeds into the Inn River and subsequently the Danube. The Danube River basin is one of Europe's most ecologically significant watersheds, supporting over 2,000 plant and animal species, including migratory fish like sturgeon. The plant's treatment helps reduce nutrient loads that could otherwise contribute to eutrophication in the Danube Delta and Black Sea.