StBlasen Wastewater Treatment Plant, Sankt Lambrecht, Steiermark, Austria

StBlasen is a wastewater treatment plant located in Sankt Lambrecht, a municipality in the Bezirk Murau district of Steiermark, Austria. The plant serves a population of 2,149 and has a designed capacity of 3,000 m³/day, with an actual discharge volume of 579.35 m³/day, indicating it operates well below its capacity. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. Austria implements the directive through national legislation, and plants serving fewer than 10,000 people typically need to meet secondary treatment standards, but StBlasen's advanced level suggests additional nutrient removal or polishing steps. The treated effluent is discharged into a local water body that ultimately drains into the Mur River, a major tributary of the Drava and Danube river systems. The plant's location in the Alpine region of Steiermark means it protects sensitive mountain streams and downstream ecosystems, including the Mur River's diverse aquatic habitats.

The plant discharges into a local stream that flows into the Mur River, which runs through Steiermark and joins the Drava near the Croatian border, eventually reaching the Danube and the Black Sea. The Mur River supports diverse fish populations, including grayling and brown trout, and its riparian zones provide important habitat for birds and mammals. The advanced treatment helps protect these downstream ecosystems from nutrient pollution and organic loading.