Wolfsdonk Wastewater Treatment Plant, Herselt, Antwerp, Belgium

Wolfsdonk is a wastewater treatment plant located in Herselt, within the province of Antwerp, Belgium. It serves a population of approximately 2,100 people, making it a small-scale municipal facility. The plant is situated in a rural area of the Flemish region, contributing to local water quality management. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for agglomerations of this size. Its designed capacity is 5,400 m³/day, with a current discharge volume of 375.37 m³/day, indicating significant spare capacity. The facility is operated as part of Belgium's comprehensive wastewater infrastructure, which is regulated under regional Flemish environmental legislation. Treated effluent from Wolfsdonk is discharged into local watercourses that eventually drain into the Scheldt River basin, which flows through Belgium and the Netherlands into the North Sea. The plant plays a key role in protecting the ecological health of these waterways, supporting aquatic life and preventing nutrient pollution in downstream ecosystems.

The plant discharges into the Scheldt River basin, a major European watershed that flows through Belgium and the Netherlands before reaching the North Sea. The Scheldt estuary supports diverse aquatic life and is an important migratory corridor for fish. Advanced treatment helps reduce nutrient loads, protecting downstream water quality and the sensitive coastal environment of the North Sea.