Lokeren Wastewater Treatment Plant: Serving 42,300 People in Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium

The Lokeren wastewater treatment plant is located in the city of Lokeren, in the province of Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium. It serves a population of approximately 42,300, classifying it as a medium-sized agglomeration under European Union regulations. The plant is situated in the Flanders region, an area with dense population and extensive water management infrastructure. As a facility serving over 10,000 people, Lokeren is subject to the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC, which requires secondary treatment for all discharges from agglomerations of this size. The directive also mandates more advanced treatment if the receiving waters are designated as sensitive areas. The plant's designed capacity is 1.00 (likely in thousands of cubic meters per day), indicating a facility sized to handle the local wastewater load. The treated effluent from the Lokeren plant is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Scheldt River basin. The Scheldt flows through Belgium and the Netherlands before reaching the North Sea. This river system supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor in the region. The plant's operations help protect water quality in this downstream environment.

The Lokeren plant discharges into the Scheldt River basin, which flows through Belgium and the Netherlands to the North Sea. The Scheldt estuary is a ecologically sensitive area that supports migratory fish and bird species. The plant's treatment processes help reduce nutrient and pollutant loads entering this important coastal ecosystem.