STAVELOT Wastewater Treatment Plant, Stavelot, Liège, Belgium

The STAVELOT wastewater treatment plant serves the municipality of Stavelot in the Liège province of Wallonia, Belgium. Designed with a capacity of 7,560 m³/day, it currently treats an average daily flow of 440.08 m³ for a population equivalent of 2,462. The plant is part of Belgium's decentralized wastewater infrastructure, handling domestic sewage from this small agglomeration in the Ardennes region. As a secondary treatment facility, STAVELOT meets the minimum requirements under the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations under 10,000 population equivalent. The directive mandates secondary treatment for all discharges from such communities to protect receiving water quality. The plant's treatment process likely involves biological oxidation and sedimentation, standard for secondary treatment in small European plants. The treated effluent from STAVELOT discharges into the Amblève River, a tributary of the Ourthe, which flows into the Meuse River and ultimately reaches the North Sea via the Dutch delta. The Amblève River supports diverse aquatic life and is part of a sensitive ecosystem in the Ardennes region. The plant's operation helps maintain water quality in this river system, which is important for local biodiversity and downstream communities.

The STAVELOT plant discharges into the Amblève River, a tributary of the Ourthe River, which flows into the Meuse River and eventually reaches the North Sea. The Amblève River runs through the Ardennes, a region known for its forested hills and diverse aquatic habitats. The plant's secondary treatment helps protect this river ecosystem from nutrient pollution and organic loading, supporting fish populations and macroinvertebrate communities that are sensitive to water quality changes.