Melle Wastewater Treatment Plant, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium

Melle wastewater treatment plant is located in the municipality of Melle, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium. The plant serves a population of approximately 4,600 people and is part of the region's municipal wastewater infrastructure. It operates under Belgian regulations that implement the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the EU directive for agglomerations of this size. With a designed capacity of 7,200 m³/day and an actual discharge volume of 822.25 m³/day, the plant operates well below its capacity, indicating room for future growth or seasonal variations. The treated effluent is discharged into local water bodies that eventually drain into the Scheldt River basin and the North Sea. The advanced treatment helps protect downstream aquatic ecosystems and supports water quality in the region's dense river network.

The plant discharges into the Scheldt River basin, which flows through Belgium and the Netherlands before reaching the North Sea. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and is an important ecological corridor. The advanced treatment reduces nutrient loads, helping to prevent eutrophication in downstream waters and the marine environment.