QUENAST Wastewater Treatment Plant, Quenast, Brabant wallon, Belgium

QUENAST is a wastewater treatment plant located in Quenast, within the municipality of Rebecq in Brabant wallon, Belgium. The facility serves a population of 2,386 and operates under secondary treatment, which is the standard biological treatment required for agglomerations of this size under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). The plant has a designed capacity of 3,000 m³/day and currently treats an average daily flow of 426.50 m³/day. As a secondary treatment plant, QUENAST removes organic matter and suspended solids through biological processes, meeting the effluent standards set by the Walloon region for inland waters. The plant is part of Belgium's municipal wastewater infrastructure, which is regulated under the EU directive and national legislation to protect water quality. For small agglomerations like Quenast, secondary treatment is typically sufficient to prevent eutrophication in receiving waters. The treated effluent from QUENAST is discharged into local watercourses that eventually drain into the Senne River basin, a tributary of the Scheldt. The Scheldt flows through Belgium and the Netherlands into the North Sea. The plant plays a key role in safeguarding the ecological health of these waterways by reducing nutrient and pollutant loads, supporting aquatic life and downstream water quality.

QUENAST discharges into the Senne River basin, part of the Scheldt catchment that drains into the North Sea. The Senne and Scheldt rivers support diverse aquatic ecosystems and are important for migratory fish species. The plant's secondary treatment helps control nutrient inputs, reducing the risk of eutrophication in downstream waters and contributing to the ecological quality of the Scheldt estuary.