AUBEL Wastewater Treatment Plant, Aubel, Liège, Belgium

The AUBEL wastewater treatment plant is located in Aubel, a municipality in the province of Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. It serves a population of approximately 4,547 residents, classifying it as a small agglomeration under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). The plant is situated in the Meuse river basin, which ultimately drains into the North Sea. As a secondary treatment facility, AUBEL meets the minimum standard required by the EU UWWTD for agglomerations of this size. The plant has a designed capacity of 7,200 m³/day, with an actual discharge volume of about 813 m³/day, indicating it operates well below its maximum capacity. This suggests the plant has room for future growth or seasonal variations. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that feed into the Berwinne River, a tributary of the Meuse. The Meuse basin supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor in Western Europe. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect downstream water quality in the Meuse and ultimately the North Sea.

The AUBEL plant discharges into the Berwinne River, which flows into the Meuse River, a major European waterway that drains into the North Sea. The Meuse basin supports diverse aquatic ecosystems and is a critical habitat for migratory fish species. Secondary treatment reduces organic pollutants and suspended solids, helping to maintain water quality in this ecologically sensitive river system.