Overview
Ruisbroek wastewater treatment plant serves 22,000 people in Puurs-Sint-Amands, Antwerpen, Belgium. It operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, which mandates secondary treatment for agglomerations of this scale.
Ruisbroek wastewater treatment plant is located in the municipality of Puurs-Sint-Amands, in the province of Antwerpen, Flanders, Belgium. The plant serves a population equivalent of 22,000, classifying it as a medium-sized agglomeration under EU regulations. As a Belgian facility, Ruisbroek operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC, which requires secondary treatment for all discharges from agglomerations above 2,000 population equivalent. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that ultimately drain into the Scheldt River basin, which flows through Antwerp and into the North Sea. The Scheldt estuary is an ecologically important area supporting diverse aquatic life and migratory bird populations.
Environmental context
The Ruisbroek plant discharges into the local water network that feeds into the Rupel River, a tributary of the Scheldt River. The Scheldt flows through Antwerp and into the North Sea via the Western Scheldt estuary. This estuary is a critical habitat for fish, birds, and invertebrates, and is subject to nutrient management under the EU Nitrates Directive and Water Framework Directive.
Frequently asked questions
The Ruisbroek plant is located at Kreweg 95 in Ruisbroek, a sub-municipality of Puurs-Sint-Amands, in the province of Antwerpen, Flanders, Belgium.
The plant serves a population equivalent of 22,000, which classifies it as a medium-sized agglomeration under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.
The treated effluent is discharged into local waterways that flow into the Rupel River, a tributary of the Scheldt River, which ultimately reaches the North Sea.
As a Belgian plant, it operates under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC, which requires secondary treatment for agglomerations over 2,000 population equivalent. Belgium has designated sensitive areas where tertiary treatment may be required.
Under the EU UWWTD, plants serving 22,000 people (medium agglomeration) are required to have at least secondary treatment. In sensitive areas, such as those draining into the Scheldt basin, tertiary treatment for nutrient removal is often implemented to meet Water Framework Directive goals.
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